Symbiosis
by The Mermaid Queen
Summary: "Two in harmony surpasses one in perfection." Because apparently dying young once wasn't enough, she's thrown for a loop and left in the mind of mankind's future martyr. A slightly unorthodox take on the OC SI phenomenon.
1. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : This fanfic is brought to you by FANOWRIMO and my own inability to stop playing the game through again no matter how depressed the ending makes me. Also, I've been reading too many OC SI reincarnation fanfics like Silver Queen's famous _Dreaming of Sunshine_ as well as others, such as _Runner_ by CompYES and _Casalinga_ by Freydris—which also inspired the mainly non-OC-centric POV of this story.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter One  
**

* * *

For as long as five-year-old Minato could remember, he had never been alone.

Okay, so _maybe_ his mom and dad rarely left him unless they had work. And _maybe_ they hired a babysitter to watch over him when they were both gone. But he didn't mean it that way.

He may be a kid, but he wasn't stupid. He knew he couldn't actually be left alone, physically. He knew _that_ because when he tried insisting that he was old enough to not need a babysitter, his mom and dad told him that they worried. It was for their sake, they said, so that they knew he was safe and no bad guys got him while they were away.

Minato understood that. It was common knowledge that bad guys used the precious people of the good guys to make them hurt. So he stopped pestering his parents about babysitters after that, so he wouldn't worry them about being by himself.

Anyway, back to the point, Minato was smart enough to know that he couldn't be _physically_ alone. But he also knew that even around other people he could still be _lonely_. That was what some girl said on a TV show he saw once, anyway.

Minato couldn't really relate to that, though.

He was never lonely, had never known "true loneliness", because he had his Other.

His Other lived in his mind, curled up and settled in a back corner like the puppy he saw once in his neighbor's house. At first, Minato barely even noticed his Other there. His Other had been with him since he was born, he was pretty sure, since he couldn't remember a time he didn't feel that presence in the back of his head, but it was only at his recent fifth birthday that he got curious enough to investigate it.

Because it moved.

Well, maybe not _move_. His Other wasn't physical. But it shifted somehow, like something asleep twitching in a dream. Sometimes, he tried to get his Other's attention, imagining himself prodding at the mental presence. But other than his Other shifting again in response, it never responded and instead, as Minato convinced himself, kept sleeping.

But that was okay. Minato still liked his Other even if it was lazy as heck.

His Other was his constant companion, sleeping habits aside. Ever since he discovered it, Minato talked to it about anything and everything. He liked to think his Other could hear him, even while asleep. His mom said that people in comas could. Minato didn't know exactly what a _coma_ was, but the way his mom explained it made it sound like hibernation or something. Maybe his Other was in a coma?

Anyway.

Minato talked and talked to his Other, sometimes prodding it to see if it would wake up _this time_ , and then talked some more. Sometimes aloud, sometimes in his head because that was where his Other lived. Minato talked better in his head, but talking aloud was a habit.

Sometimes he just wanted a quiet day, though, and just spent time lying around, trying to mentally cuddle around his Other as it slept. It was kind of weird, but it felt very warm even in his mind. A sort of gentle warmth, like the feeling of the sun in the morning. It made him feel nice and sort of sleepy, so those days he usually took long naps, sprawled out wherever in the house while curled up by his Other in his head.

Those were the best days, in his opinion.

* * *

 _For a while, all I did was sleep. I think._

 _It was all so very hazy, so I don't really remember much of anything. I knew I was resting, sleeping like the dead. It was the type of rest that followed that deep sort of exhaustion—like staying up for almost thirty-six hours straight. The type of rest that happens when the body is finally allowed to sleep after running on fumes and just sort of shuts down to try and make up for the lost time._

 _I knew that type of rest well. It kind of came with the territory of being a college student, really. Which is why, I suppose, I didn't really find it alarming. Somewhere along the line I guess I figured that I was just sleeping off a couple of all-nighters and barely budged for anything._

 _Sometimes, something would reach me, like what felt like a brush on the shoulder or little fingers poking my back. But I could ignore them. I had had little cousins, nephews, who were too precocious for their own good and liked to bother whoever they saw to play with them. If I didn't react, they would lose interest. So I didn't and, as expected, I was left alone._

 _And so I kept on sleeping, completely oblivious.  
_

* * *

His parents were worried.

Minato knew this because his mom only ever asked such pointed questions when she was worried. Questions like "Staying inside again today?" and "How come you don't go out to play with your friends anymore?" and "Are you sure you don't want to go out with the other kids?"

The first times she asked he didn't think anything of it, but then she started asking more frequently and it became much more obvious.

His dad worried, too. More than once, Minato would wake up from his nap alongside his Other to find his dad looking over him, or just sitting nearby and running his hand over Minato's head. It was soothing and usually made him want to sleep again, but his dad always stopped him.

"You sleep more than a sloth, kiddo," was what his dad would say. It started out as a simple tease when Minato first started taking more naps. But the way his dad said it started to get quieter over time, heavy with some meaning that Minato didn't understand.

Eventually, his parents took him to see a doctor. And as Minato sat, nonplussed, they took turns explaining his odd "symptoms" and their concerns for his health to the medical professional that came in to see them. He tried to keep track of the conversation, but lost interest after a while, only catching snippets of words and phrases they shot back and forth over his head.

"—sleeping far more than what's healthy—"

"He has no motivation—"

"—becoming highly antisocial…"

Minato kicked his feet, head bent and glowering at the tops of his shoes. He didn't understand a lot of what they were talking about, but none of it sounded good. His parents were talking in that hushed sort of way that he recognized whenever he got really bad flus, too, which only made him feel worse. Did they think he was sick?

He wanted to complain about being there for nothing, but when he tried to tell them he was fine, they insisted they had to know _for sure_. So he couldn't do anything but sit and wait until they got the results back.

The doctor ran a few tests and asked Minato questions that he tried to explain about, but Minato didn't understand. His parents asked questions back, though, so Minato left it to them and instead focused on the warm presence of his Other to keep him calm. All it did was sleep, but Minato found it comforting to sort of latch onto it mentally. Like the teddy bear he used to have before he outgrew it.

Eventually, the doctor found nothing wrong with Minato, as the boy had been expecting. Minato himself couldn't help the small, smug grin that painted itself on his face even as his parents asked even _more_ questions to test the doctor's certainty.

The medical professional held firm. Minato was a quiet boy, merely introverted and maybe a little shy, he concluded. But there was nothing wrong with him. Even the excessive napping was doing no harm—the boy napped so much simply because he liked to sleep.

Defeated but relieved, Minato's parents thanked the doctor for his time and returned home with Minato in tow.

* * *

 _I don't remember when it started, but I started noticing more things in the time before I woke up. I guess they were warning signs that I was going to wake up soon, like that feeling you get when you're trying to cling to a dream but are on the verge of consciousness. Minato's voice, for instance, began reaching me even in the midst of my slumber at some point even before I woke._

 _Minato was a good kid. Kind of strange, but a good one nonetheless. As quiet as he could be on the outside, he had some very loud thoughts sometimes. But he toned them down, I think, for me._

 _He took care of his friends like that—something that would follow him later in life no matter how outwardly antisocial he became. He was very thoughtful of them, of me, even if I was much less of a good friend in return since I ignored him by sleeping most of the time._

 _Still._

 _Yeah, I'm pretty sure it was his voice that I honestly started to pay more attention to as my consciousness gradually shifted from slumber into wakefulness. As I learned later, he really liked talking to me, like I was some sort of mental diary for him—or maybe a sounding board. Either way, it was this habit of his that kept me sane when I finally did wake up._

 _His voice became familiar to me long before I was conscious enough to notice it, and I latched onto that familiarity like a piece of driftwood in a sea of confusion.  
_

* * *

His Other dreamed sometimes.

The first time Minato felt it, he was in his elementary school's library, looking at a book on Greek mythology. He was flipping through the contents, looking at the colorful illustrations of gods and monsters, when his Other shifted in the back of his mind.

Looking around to make sure no one was around to see him, Minato focused inward, automatically heading straight to his Other's location after a year of practice. His Other shifted again when he "approached", which surprised him. It didn't usually move more than once every few days unless he talked and prodded incessantly at it to goad a reaction.

Curious (and maybe a little worried), Minato mentally reached out for it. When he made contact, he was stunned when, instead of the familiar brush of warmth, he was met with a long beach and an endless sea beneath a bright blue sky. The only thing that stood out, quite literally, was a lone tree that sat on a cliff at some point in the distance.

Everything was silent.

As his surprise died down, Minato looked around. There wasn't much in this dream—if it was a dream, anyway—so he was a little lost as to what to do. There didn't seem to be anyone around but him, either, which made him rather curious about where his Other was. Perhaps the tree would have clues? It was the only other thing around.

But, as Minato moved to take a step forward, a shrill bell sounding tore him out of the dream and back to reality. Twisting around to see a nearby clock, Minato realized that break was over. He put the mythology book back on the shelf and left, promising to look back into his Other's dream another time.

* * *

 _Somewhere along the line, I think my subconscious started to see Minato as a part of myself and vice versa. We had been linked for reasons beyond my understanding at his birth, maybe even before it, so our minds (or would it be souls?) gradually acclimated to one another as he grew._

 _In a way, this was a very good thing because in the early years, while I was asleep, Minato was a curious child and apparently went snooping around where he probably shouldn't have. I won't pretend to be an expert on anything, but in the universe of_ Persona _, the concepts of the mind and soul are very important. And fragile. Had it not been for our unexpected link, he could have potentially been cut off from his own mind or worse by venturing into mine._

 _When I think about it now, it might be the fact that his potential as a Persona-user was so strong that allowed my soul to attach to his with relative ease._

 _Because, I mean, obviously fanfiction and real life are different, but in fanfiction when people are reborn into an already existing character, they usually sort of… kick the original character's soul out. I can only speculate that I had been meant to do the same, to be born in his place. But because Minato's soul is a veritable_ sea _to accommodate multiple Personas, instead of him being shunted aside I was instead absorbed and kept alongside his._

… _Granted, this was all just hypothesis. I have no actual idea on how reincarnation worked or why mine seemed to go so horribly wrong. All of this was just what I told myself to try to make sense of things.  
_

* * *

Sometimes, Minato would wake up in the middle of the night and the sky would be green.

He thought it was weird and kind of cool, but even though he wanted to get up and explore or maybe ask his mom or dad, he didn't. Instead, he stared at the sky outside his window and had hushed conversations with his Other, telling it about the weird things he saw until he fell back asleep.

Several times, Minato would wake up to see this strange sky. But he always stayed put, simply watching quietly, until either he slept or blinked and it went away. It never lasted, but sometimes it went on for so long that he wondered why no one ever told him about it before.

He asked his mom once, but she had only smiled at him and dismissed it as a dream.

"You're reading too many of those fairytales, Minato," she had chided teasingly, petting his hair. "But my, what an imagination you have!"

Realizing that she didn't know about it either, Minato decided not to say anything more. He could try to show his parents instead, somehow. They would surely scold him for staying up so late, but at least then they would know what he was talking about.

Unfortunately, he never got a chance to show them the strange time. Even when he managed to stay awake long enough, whenever he went to find his parents, he found an empty house instead. Occasionally he would find large boxes in weird places of the house—normally in his parents' room, but sometimes in the kitchen or one of the hallways. Once, he found one right outside his room, preventing him from leaving.

Eventually, Minato had to give up trying to show his parents the weird time of night and, when he sullenly told his Other about it, had a feeling that it agreed.

So Minato kept his secret about the odd green sky and big yellow moon, growing used to it as the year went on. By the time several months passed, he barely registered the time and lost interest in it.

It was for this reason that he barely batted an eye when he and his parents were caught out late at night. They were driving, on their way back home from some party of a friend's that they had attended. Minato found himself sleepily looking at the car's clock, watching the minutes tick by.

11:54

In the back of his mind, his Other stirred.

Blinking, Minato focused inward on it and was surprised when it kept moving. Was it another dream?

He reached out, but was not drawn in to his Other's quiet world. Instead, he could feel the presence of his Other tense at his touch—something it had never done before. And then, the feeling of his Other grew, and Minato could feel it move around slowly, steadily, in its little corner.

With a start, he realized that his Other was waking up.

11:56

"Good morning," Minato whispered after a long, stunned pause.

His Other stilled.

Minato caught flashes of emotions that were not his own. Surprise, worry, confusion—his Other was disoriented, like it was groggy, but Minato couldn't help but grin as it finally, _finally_ , was able to interact with him.

"My name is Minato Arisato," he introduced himself because his mom was always telling him to be polite. "It's nice to finally meet you."

In the passenger seat up front, his mom turned. "Minato? What're you whispering about back there? You should be asleep."

11:59

"Nothing, Mom," Minato replied, distracted. His Other was moving around again, still confused. He tried thinking at it to keep it calm. It seemed to be working.

He glanced outside the car window. They were over the bridge now. Just a few minutes more and they would be home, where he could talk to his Other better.

12—

The world turned green.

Minato looked forward when the car stopped, engine dying. His eyes widened when he didn't see his parents, the two oddly-shaped boxes from before taking their places. He looked back outside and found that everything else had stopped moving, too.

"What…?" he muttered. Then he paused, an anxious feeling erupting from his Other. "Other? Are you okay?"

" _Minato,_ " said his Other.

Minato jumped at the sudden voice in his head. It sounded similar to his mom, almost, but maybe a little higher. His Other was a girl?

" _Minato,_ " his Other repeated. " _Minato… Arisato… you are…_ "

"Yeah, that's me!" Minato affirmed, forgetting the situation in his excitement. His Other may be a girl, but she was talking! She was actually talking back! "I'm Minato Arisato. What's your name?"

His Other ignored his question. Fear burst from her, making him frown. " _Oh my god… Minato. Minato, get out of the car. Get out of the car_ now _._ "

"Why?" he asked, confused. He peered outside at the green-tinted world. "We're on the street. That's dangerous."

The car was stopped and so were the others, but what if they started moving again? His parents told him not to open the door while they were driving or even just on the street because someone passing by could drive too close and hit them.

" _Please, Minato! You have to get out—_ " His Other was cut off by a loud sound. Minato looked around for the source. It sounded like a roar. " _Oh my god._ "

Movement in the corner of his eyes made him look forward again, between the two boxes that sat where his parents had been. Up ahead, on the bridge, a dark shape was flying towards them. Behind it, something lighter followed.

The lighter thing jumped up into the air and shot at the dark thing—Minato could barely see what they were, but he could hear the sounds they made. There was a lot of gunfire.

The dark thing roared and turned, swinging something and knocking the light thing back. Then it continued flying towards the car. As it got closer, Minato shrunk back in his seat.

The lighter thing pursued and Minato noticed that it looked like a girl with short blonde hair. She shot at the ghost—or it looked like a ghost, at least. The ghost roared again and they clashed, struggling against one another. The girl knocked the ghost back with a kick and the ghost went flying—in their direction.

" _Minato!_ "


	2. The Unwitting Soul Possessor

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Nameless "she" point-of-view. Many apologies. She hasn't been named yet (in-story; I have a name picked out already after much trial and error), so it'll be a little confusing for a bit. And while this and the next chapter focus on her POV, this story will actually heavily focus on Minato's. I just suck at writing kids so I'm unashamedly glossing over those growing years here.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Two  
**

* * *

It was like waking up in the middle of drowning.

Granted, it took her a while to realize just what the hell was going on. She woke up in some dark space that felt completely empty and yet totally surrounded her, like water.

It was disorienting to say the least and even when she moved it did not feel natural. She felt sluggish and everything felt hazy, like when she slept for too long. The fact that her vision remained dark even when she "opened her eyes", so to speak, did not help matters at all.

Where was she?

The space around her flickered, but she was too disoriented to really react. It was only when she heard a quiet, almost shy, "Good morning" that she froze.

She did not know that voice and yet it was so familiar. She turned, or tried to, to find the source. No one appeared, but she did manage to find something else out of the endless darkness.

It looked like a very wide screen, only it was more ovular than rectangular like she was used to. It was also much larger than she was judging by how it towered over her even as she approached it. The image in it was of the interior of a car, taken from the backseat. Two people sat up front, a man and a woman.

That was… strange. And worrying. She didn't understand what she was looking at or why she was being shown it. So why…?

"My name is Minato Arisato," the voice continued eventually, still hushed like a whisper and yet so very clear. Though she still could not see the owner, the tone and pitch told her that it was a young boy. "It's nice to finally meet you."

She stumbled back when the woman in the screen turned around in her seat, peering around. Her eyebrow was raised and she had a stern little frown—the same kind she had gotten from her mother when she was getting scolded. "Minato? What're you whispering about back there? You should be asleep."

Oh god.

The woman was _looking_ at the screen, at her, but wasn't _addressing_ her. The woman was talking to the boy—to this Minato—and, behind the screen in that dark void, she was… she could see what he saw?

She turned around in the dark space and was met by emptiness. There was nothing there but her and the screen and yet she felt like she was already making the connections—even though she really did not want to.

 _Don't worry, it's okay_ , said Minato, but outwardly, through the screen, she could also hear him reply, "Nothing, Mom."

 _You just woke up, so you're just groggy_ , he continued in this other voice. It echoed against the blackness, not sounding like it came from any one direction but rather all of them at once. _Don't worry, I'll explain everything later._

She felt like freaking out, could feel a hysterical scream bubbling up in her throat, but there was something about this boy that kept her from releasing it. That odd familiarity. It was like it was telling her that he was safe. That she could trust him.

And then the new side-image of a bridge through a car window went green and she felt herself blanch (as much as a mental construct _could_ blanch).

She _knew_ that image of a green-tinted world. She had loved it as much as the idea of it terrified her.

The Dark Hour.

The hidden time between one day and the next. It lasted much longer than an actual hour and plunged the waking world into a time of Shadows and despair. The only ones capable of traversing the Dark Hour with their consciousness intact were those that had "the potential" or some sick scientific experimentation done on them to simulate the talent.

She still didn't know exactly what was going on, but from what she deduced she was stuck in this kid's head and—

Minato.

He said he was…

"Minato," she said, voice trembling. The void—his _mind_ —flickered around her with what she felt was surprise. She didn't want to think about what it meant to be able to read his emotions like that. "Minato. Minato… Arisato… you are…"

She knew him. Information flowed from his mind to hers, surrounding her and adding to her outside knowledge. It should have felt like an invasion, or at least something foreign, but it was a seamless transference. His mind to hers, like they were one in the same.

He was Minato Arisato. His parents were Seiichi and Midori Arisato, but Minato only ever called them "Dad" and "Mom". He was six years old. He attended Port Island Private Elementary. His grades were average. He liked taking naps. His favorite hobby was reading. He liked dogs. His favorite color was blue. His current favorite food was oden; his least favorite was tamagoyaki—

There was so much information that it was almost overwhelming, but she was fixated on one thing.

He was Minato Arisato. He was six and he was experiencing the _Dark Hour_ in a _car_ on a _bridge_.

"Oh my god…" She felt sick. Could he hear her? Please, let him hear her! "Minato. Minato, get out of the car. Get out of the car _now_."

"Why?" Minato asked, sounding puzzled. The screen, his vision, moved to show her the outside and she flinched at the sight of the green, green world and random puddles of blood. "We're on the street. That's dangerous."

Her thoughts whirred.

 _Persona 3_ started when its protagonist was around sixteen or seventeen, instigated by Death leading him back to Tatsumi Port Island, where he used to live. The game's plot specifically stated that the time of the Dark Hour officially began ten or so years prior to the game's beginning, when Minato was about six or seven. He lost his parents in a "car accident" during the Dark Hour, due to them getting caught in the crossfire in a fight between Aigis and Death, who escaped captivity an unknown amount of time after it had been split into twelve other Shadows in the incident that turned Gekkoukan High School into Tartarus.

Minato had to be there, but he had to _survive_.

"Please, Minato! You have to get out—" A roar interrupted her and it was all she could do to not panic further as Minato's gaze swiveled around to locate it. "Oh my god."

She saw it before he did, not much more than a blur in the distance. When Minato focused on it, she could see the incomplete Death hovering over the street, sword in one hand as it flew in their direction. Aigis was in hot pursuit, opening fire whenever the opportunity was presented to her.

It happened so fast, two inhuman forces clashing and, before she knew it, Death was knocked into the air, swiftly falling in their direction.

No, Minato had to survive! He had to get out!

"Minato!"

* * *

Minato gasped as he opened his eyes. Shakily, he looked around, wincing at the pain at his neck and sides. He paled when he faced forward and saw flames dancing over the crushed front of the car, just beyond the cracked and broken window. The boxes were gone and his parents were back, but…

"M—Mom?" He reached out, shaking her arm gently. She didn't respond. When he pulled away, his hands were red and sticky. His breathing hitched as he looked to the driver's seat. "Dad…?"

No answer.

Whimpering, Minato curled up. What should he do? What _could_ he do?

In the back of his mind, his Other let out a shaky breath.

"Other!" he cried, relieved. "Other, Mom and Dad…! They're…!" He felt his eyes burn with tears and tried valiantly to wipe them away. "They're…"

There was a moment of silence from his Other before she said, " _…I know. I know, Minato, but… you've got to get out of the car. Don't think about them right now, just—just get out of the car, okay?_ "

Minato didn't reply and stared ahead, unfocused, at the unmoving bodies of his parents. A tendril of worry trickled through from his Other.

" _Minato? Minato, please move…_ "

Mechanically, reluctantly, Minato obeyed. He fumbled with his seatbelt and unlocked it before reaching blindly for the door handle, unable to look away from his parents. His body ached, but he was relatively unharmed, somehow. The door was hard to push open, but he managed.

He stumbled out, backing away from the car at his Other's urging. The flames were mesmerizing, but he found his gaze drawn away when distant sounds caught his ears.

It was the blonde girl and the ghost—the thing that killed his parents. They were still fighting.

Only now the girl was losing. Badly.

His Other made a choking sound. " _Minato, I'm so—sorry."_

He was about to ask why when the blonde girl turned, the ghost following her, and zoomed straight towards him.

Just before everything went dark, Minato was swept away in a horrible feeling from his Other that he couldn't quite describe.

(Much, much later, Minato would recognize the feeling as resignation.)

* * *

The fact that Minato was not awake during the sealing of Death was both relieving and utterly terrifying.

Relieving, because for all her morbid fascination with the art of sealing eldritch abominations into little boys, she probably would not have been able to stomach watching it happen up close.

Terrifying, because the moment Minato passed out, she lost contact with the outside world, too. The long time in the dark scared her beyond reason that something had gone wrong. And even though it had been a good way of learning that she could stay awake while Minato was not, and that time flowed differently in his mind, she would have appreciated it a lot more if she had simply been knocked out as well.

She had never been good at the waiting game.

Still, the break gave her time to analyze her situation more thoroughly, so she supposed she couldn't complain too much. While "waking up" from what she thought was a simple sleep only to find out that she had gotten herself locked in the mind of a fictional little boy wasn't exactly a nice revelation, she found herself accepting it with a calm that surprised even her.

Honestly speaking, what bothered her most about it all was that she couldn't remember how she got into this situation in the first place. If she had been reborn, or meant to be reborn, how had she died? All she could think about was the wide gap that separated her past from the present—the last memory she could recall was walking the path from her university to her car and then… she slept and woke up.

It was almost clinical, the way she thought about it. Just "Oh, I'm not in my body anymore. Okay. And oh, I now inhabit the body of a boy who shouldn't really exist while he's still inhabiting it, too. Okay."

…She knew she was more of a _passive_ individual, but wasn't there a limit to that?

She couldn't find it in her to care much more than that, though. Maybe reading all those rebirth fanfiction helped ease her into the idea. She had always loved the concept of the fantastic being secretly real, of other worlds existing, so maybe this proof was all she really needed to convince herself she wasn't simply going crazy.

Regardless, she decided not to dwell on the subject much more, content to let the knowledge slip around her freely and keep her pride on not freaking out. Since she knew where she was and whose life she was (technically) inhabiting, there were many more things she had to worry about than past lives and the cycle of rebirth in the afterlife.

And so, she focused her time and energy on getting used to her new surroundings.

It was probably a good thing that she had first woken up when she had, when Minato's mind contained just her and itself. It gave her a base as to what belonged and what… didn't.

Like the door that sprouted up some time after Minato passed out, ominously chained up with the Roman numeral XIII printed prominently in white on its sleek black surface.

She couldn't feel anything from it right now, but she was quite certain that it was the seal on Death. It was nice to know that there was at least _some_ form of barrier between Minato's mind and the Shadow. She didn't want to think of what would've happened if it had been allowed to roam around, trapped but unhindered.

Death's door (and wasn't that a funny thought?) was the only thing that popped up while Minato was asleep and, after carefully examining it, she was satisfied that it wouldn't spontaneously collapse or break open at an inopportune moment. She knew that as Minato grew, Death's seal would grow weaker and allow it to influence his subconscious mind to convince him to return to Tatsumi Port Island, but the chains looked sturdy enough to hold for a while yet.

She had time to prepare, in the case that Death's eventual release would result in her untimely (second?) demise.

Grim acceptance in place, she decided to ignore Death's door for now and instead concentrate on Minato. Despite the appearance of Death's door, his mind remained stable enough. There were occasional flickers of emotions while he slept, and something told her that if she focused hard enough she could reach a deeper level of his mind where he dreamt, but she refrained from prying. He had been through a lot, so she would let him rest as much as possible without her experimenting.

It was a tense wait, though. With her presence in his mind, she had no guarantee that something hadn't gone wrong with the sealing anyway. It would be horrible to find out that she caused him to go into a coma trying to house multiple entities at once—although, Minato _did_ have the "potential" and, even more, was deemed worthy of the power of a Wild Card. Perhaps even as a kid he was naturally inclined to hosting multiple beings in his mind and soul.

Those thoughts did little to comfort her, though. It was only when Minato finally woke up to find himself in a hospital room, which she judged to hopefully be only several hours later, that she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Other?" he whispered. He sounded so small and frail.

Now that she could think of it better, she wondered why he called her that. But it was a question she could save for another time.

She did her best to convey a smile to him. "Hey, Minato."

Minato didn't say anything immediately, instead looking around at his surroundings. She watched as he took in the sterile hospital room, gaze not lingering on anything in particular. She listened with him as he heard the beeping of heart monitors, one in his room and others echoing from rooms down the hall.

Then he laid back down and closed his eyes and—

She blinked when he appeared, almost popping into existence before her as if it was completely natural. She didn't have time to question him or his ability to enter his own mind, however, when he spotted her and, after a moment's hesitation, ran forward. He was hugging her in the next instant, his form barely taller than her waist.

His mind flickered around them, pouring in feelings of such desperate, heartrending grief and fear that she sank to her knees. She couldn't see herself in this dark world, but he apparently recognized her easily enough to take comfort in her presence, crying openly in her arms. His sobs echoed strangely in the outside world, hidden by his closed eyes.

She held him as gently yet as firmly as she could, anchoring him and feeling utterly useless.

* * *

It took a while for Minato to calm down, his tears slowing only to pick up again as he thought of his parents. She waited patiently, and was grateful for the lack of true form in the mindscape, as kneeling for so long probably would've resulted in numb legs if she had a physical body.

Eventually, he settled and unwound from her, stepping back as he tried to stem his own tears.

She wanted to say something, anything, but could only think of the standard responses. The useless questions like "Are you okay?" or "How are you feeling?" as if it wasn't obvious.

Sighing, she decided to settle for petting his little mind-self's head, hoping that the comfort she was trying to convey got through to him.

After a few moments more, Minato was the one who broke the silence. "Other, what're we gonna do…?"

Hell if she knew.

She wondered what she could say to put it lightly that she had no idea. She had an inkling of what he would go through based on what she could remember the game saying about his past, but there were no concrete details as far as she knew.

The protagonist of _Persona 3_ , no matter the name he was given, was rather… undeveloped as a character. He was meant to be empty, so players could fill in their own ideas of who he was and how he acted. There were manga, sure, and movies she hadn't read or seen, but it seemed universal that his most defining characteristic was, ironically, having no character at all. Or so his character description in _Persona Q_ had jokingly claimed.

That was "Minato Arisato". Or "Makoto Yuuki". The already grown protagonist with a mysterious past on a path set for him by something far bigger than himself.

But this Minato was, at the moment, none of that. He was still at the beginning of that road, which she had a feeling she wouldn't be able to fight with Death's door literally at her back. But there was still so much uncertainty. He was malleable.

"Well," she said lightly, "you'll probably be taken in by a relative…" Or was it just straight to the orphanage? "Some people might ask you questions about what happened before you get to leave, though."

The boy tensed, and his emotions trickled in all around them. They overlapped and mixed, muddling together until she couldn't pick them apart from one another. But she got the gist of it, boiling it all down to reluctance and an emphatic _no_.

She petted his hair more, letting him settle back down, before gently shooing him off to rest. "You need it, Minato. Go sleep."

He mumbled something in a half-protest, but she had a feeling that his little catharsis had more than tired him out. The mental emotional purge, coupled with just waking up from such a traumatic incident, must have left him exhausted.

As he faded from sight, she found it interesting how she could feel his mind and emotions so clearly, but not any physical sensations like pain or tiredness. Though they technically shared a body, or so she believed, she seemed to be completely locked in his head. If she tried, would she be able to influence the outside world through him? Or was she strictly limited to his mindscape?

"One step at a time," she murmured, sighing. If ever. The thought of trying to control a little boy's body like a puppet made her kind of sick, actually.

A wordless thought drifted to her, questioning.

"Go to _sleep_ , Minato."

There was no actual reply, but she caught a slip of feeling that was probably meant to be a bidding of goodnight. Like the mental equivalent of incoherent mumbling.

That thought, despite her situation and despite his shaky future, made her smile.


	3. Growing Pains

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Starting this fanfic has made me finally get a move on to learning the full plot of _Persona 4_. I wanted to eventually finish playing it myself (I'm only at the beginning of Rise's dungeon…), but I think I've finally come to accept that I don't have the same time to dedicate to playing it through as before. Thankfully, YouTube exists. With _Golden_ videos, no less.

Ah, this should also clue you in to the fact that this OC SI has only the same knowledge I did when I decided to write this story. I've read some stuff on the wiki from the later games, but I think I've managed to avoid spoiling myself majorly until now (I think). We'll see how that affects things as we continue on, but I guess I just wanted to get this out there so people who know the later games don't wonder things like "This was explained in 4, so why doesn't she know?"

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Three  
**

* * *

In the end, Minato did go to live with relatives, but in a very loose sense. Long story short, he more or less lived an existence of being passed from relative to relative like a hot potato.

"Other", as she supposed she was dubbed now, watched as this occurred from within Minato's mind. She could understand some of them, given that they had their own families or unstable incomes that could make living difficult even without having the six-year-old orphan on the side. But she could not help frowning and furiously ranting about some of his more selfish relatives, who clearly had the means and ability to support Minato living with them but simply could not be bothered.

The rants were mostly for herself, she admitted, to vent out her feelings of uselessness. But they were also partially for Minato. She could not quite shield her thoughts from him while he was awake yet and he was uncannily good at knowing when she was upset, so she made do by trying to make him feel better about basically being set aside. If coming up with immature insults about _this_ distant uncle or _that_ spoiled aunt did the trick, she gladly did so.

Most of her time was spent like this, simply watching as Minato's life moved on and chatting with him in hopes of making him feel less alone. She kept an eye out for lingering signs of trauma, too, soothing him through it as best as she could. The worst had to be his aversion to cars and being in them. It was… a work in progress.

It also became apparent that he was truly a quiet child, though she worried off and on that he was being too reclusive. She'd had a nephew who was similarly quiet and preferred to keep to himself in his formative years, but even then he'd had moments of high energy where he craved social interaction.

Sometimes, she took cues from the various adults in his life and shrugged his behavior off—she was no child psychologist or what-have-you—but sometimes her paranoia and worry made her simply unable to trust them.

During those times, she always checked in on his status.

"Reading again, Minato?" she asked, trying to send him the feeling of a pat on his head. She'd been doing that more frequently now, trying to find the limit of what she could do from within his mind. Sending him phantom sensations was odd, but one of the easiest. It often helped to comfort him, too, since he rarely got physical attention from his other family members.

 _Yep_ , he answered, thinking directly at her instead of replying aloud as he used to.

(After living with a couple of relatives, she realized rather belatedly that he tended to talk to her out loud. Though he sometimes tried to quiet his voice when around others, he always spoke freely when he thought he was alone. One aunt walked in on him in the middle of one of their conversations and had looked so worried that Other decided to put a stop to it, telling Minato to talk with her in his head only.)

(He had been confused, but he thankfully agreed, trusting her judgment.)

"Not gonna go out and play with your cousins?" she mused. "These ones were much nicer than the other ones at the last house. I'm sure they won't leave you alone."

They were innocently insensitive, as children were wont to be, asking Minato about his parents and the crash. But at least they didn't look at him as if he were some alien intruding on their lives or ignored him out of petty jealousy for holding their parents' attentions while he adjusted.

She had to fight to keep her irritation at bay just remembering. Damn brats.

 _No thanks_ , he replied, thankfully unaware of her ire and idly flipping a page. She barely paid attention to the artwork of what was supposedly a depiction of the phoenix's fiery rebirth. _I don't like hanging out with them all a lot. Too crowded._

Distantly, she was reminded of a certain other character that disliked "crowding"—amongst many, many other things—and shuddered at the idea of being stuck in _his_ mind. "Okay. Just making sure."

 _Besides_ , he added, _I have you, so I'm not alone anyway._

Frowning, she shot a wary glance over her shoulder where Death's door loomed, ever present even while dormant. She still didn't know what would happen to her when Death began to awaken. Pharos had been fairly… harmless even in his first appearance as the Mysterious Boy, if a tad creepy, but she also knew that his Thanatos form would have a sort of psychotic break during Orpheus's first summoning.

She wanted to be optimistic in her own continued survival, but she knew from experience that the _Persona_ series were games where everything could change at the drop of a hat. And often quite brutally.

"Not that I'm not flattered, kiddo," she began, "but try not to depend on me too much, yeah? I might not always be here."

Outside, she saw Minato's hand still in its action of flipping another page. When his mind began to flicker, full of volatile and mixed emotions, she cursed. Too soon! Too soon!

 _You're not gonna leave, are you?_ Minato asked, a slow dawning terror encroaching upon his mindscape like a heavy black fog. _Please don't leave! First Mom and Dad—I don't wanna lose you, too!_

"Minato—"

He was frozen, staring down at the page in his mute horror. Before she could get another word in edgewise, she was overcome by a veritable tidal wave of his fear—the fear of being alone—and grief all at once.

 _Did you want to go out and play? I can do that! I—I don't mind, just don't…_ he sobbed. _Please don't leave…_

Even as the wave enveloped her, all she could feel was guilt. She had just been thinking for his benefit of not getting too dependent on her in case she disappeared one day. She didn't think he would be so scared of losing her, who was at most just an imaginary friend as far as he knew. But it seemed he cared more than she had believed.

The thought was both heartwarming and distressing.

While she was glad to know that her presence wasn't a burden or an annoyance to him so far, she wondered what it meant for his psyche to be so attached to someone in his head.

* * *

Minato was essentially settled into his odd life when he turned eight, celebrating his birthday quietly with the lone uncle he was currently living with and spending the rest of the day alone. Of course, in reality he was with her, his proclaimed Other, celebrating "their" birthday by doing what they enjoyed: reading.

It was just as he got to a simplified version of the tale of Kaguya that she finally asked him why he called her his Other.

There was a moment of plain confusion as he registered her question.

Then, he replied, _Because you're my Other._

It was said, or thought, so simply. As if it answered everything rather than nothing.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked.

 _Well,_ said Minato. _You're always there. In my head. I asked a kid in my class once if he had something else in his head, too, and he said no. So did a whole bunch of other kids. So I thought I had something special. Another me. So, "Other"._

In a way, he probably wasn't entirely wrong. If she had been meant to be reborn as him only to be caught up in his soul and his "potential", then she would have technically been him. A literal "Other Minato".

She hummed, understanding. "I see."

Minato gave a responding hum before returning to his reading. He was only at the beginning, when the old bamboo cutter found the infant Kaguya in the shining stalk.

After a moment of debate, she decided to ask something else.

"…Say, Minato, would it be okay if I used a different name? Not that I mind being called 'Other', but it's kind of weird sometimes." It was a bit dehumanizing, rather, not that she'd tell him aloud for fear of making him feel bad.

Minato paused again. Then, he sat up from his position of reading on his stomach on the floor.

 _Okay_ , he agreed readily. _What do you wanna be called?_

She honestly had no clue.

She had been an aspiring writer in her past life, but if there was one thing she would likely never forget about that, it would be her inability to name things in a timely manner. Naming, for her, was an absolute chore.

"Um… Why don't you help me?" she suggested. If she sounded a little desperate, she firmly ignored it. Minato was a smart kid; he could definitely help her! "What do you think my name should be?"

He would be the only one to know it and use it, anyway. She had a feeling she would be stuck in his head for a long time, sudden death-by-"Thanatos" scenarios aside.

She watched as Minato eyed the little mythology book an aunt got him for his birthday last year, pulling it towards him to flip through the contents. He was quiet for a long time, turning page after page. But, just as she began losing faith and fearing that she would end up with a random, overly complicated name, he suggested something that made her blink.

"Did you say 'Tamago'?" she asked, perplexed. All that perusing through the myths and he chose to name her after his breakfast?

Minato snickered. _No! I said "Tamamo". Like Tamamo-no-Mae!_

"Oh." She recognized that name. It was a myth she remembered a little obscurely, or so her memories told her. The only reason she honestly recalled it was because the character in the myth appeared as the identity of a Servant in a certain TYPE-MOON game.

…Yeah, she could live with that name. It was easy to remember and wasn't half-bad.

"Sure," she agreed, smiling. "From now on, I am Tamamo."

Minato laughed again. _Nice to meet you, Tamamo!_

She chuckled. "Nice to meet you, Minato. And thank you. For naming me."

His mindscape lightened in response, pleased to have helped.

(Much later, she would remember the full version of the myth and wonder why he decided to name her after one of Japan's three vilest youkai. This would also make her realize that Minato, for all his introverted nature, was a bit of a rascal when he wanted to be.)

* * *

The days faded into weeks into months as Minato's life moved steadily onwards. He was still shuffled from family to family, but over time it seemed to become more of an annoying inconvenience to him than anything else. This worried Tamamo, as many things tended to do these days, but he insisted on reassuring her that he was fine with it, never holding it against his family members for being unable to settle him somewhere. He was indifferent to the matter and took it all in stride.

Unable to argue or do much of anything else, Tamamo let it slide and instead focused on helping him behind the scenes. Being trapped in his head gave her plenty of time to learn what she could do, after all, so she used the majority of her time to practice when not watching Minato's life or chatting with him.

And, as it turned out, despite the fact that she had no body of her own, there _were_ some things she could do from within his mind. Perhaps she had the universe to thank for that, as much of the _Persona_ series relied on the somewhat abstract power of the mind and soul.

The first of the two main "abilities" she learned was her ability to influence certain things in Minato's mind, like his dreams when he slept. She had finally taken the leap into the deeper parts of his mind when a particularly bad nightmare disrupted his mindscape while he was asleep. Though she took care not to be drawn in to the dream itself, she carefully tugged and blocked the images that plagued him until he settled.

It was a rather easy task, especially when she got to learning how to set mental constructs. It also gave her something to do while he slept and so she safeguarded his mind as best she could, glad to be of some use.

That said, mental constructs were what she experimented with next. Given that she was in a mindscape, her automatic thought was of utilizing the power of imagination: to create something out of virtually nothing. This was much more difficult a task than it sounded, as it required concentration on her part to actually form something fully and correctly. The cartoons always made it look easy, just poof! Instant item. Not for her, though. There were a lot of failures of items half-created. If she hadn't erased them all, she would probably have her own little rubble pile. However, once she got it down once, it became much easier to reproduce. The shields she used to protect Minato's mind were one such construct she used often.

She also used it to give herself a body.

At first, she hadn't thought to use it for such a thing, seeing as there was no real point to it. However, a conversation with Minato when he dove into his mind one afternoon (and she would really have to figure out how he did that sometime) jump-started the whole thing.

"Y'know, it's kinda weird," he said, kicking his legs where he sat on the little couch she had made just because she could.

"What is?" she asked.

"You, kinda. I can see you and I know you're there, but sometimes it's just… weird," he explained in that way that said nothing at all. Until he added, "You look like a shadow."

She flinched. "A—A what?"

"A shadow," Minato repeated, looking at her strangely. "You know. All dark and kinda misty. Which is why it's weird because you're pretty warm. Shadows are cool, aren't they?"

Oh. He meant actual shadows and not the monstrous kind. That was a relief.

Still, Tamamo grimaced. Actually learning what she looked like from his point of view made her uneasy. What would happen later when he went up against actual Shadows and compared their dark bodies to her?

So, using her self-taught lessons on mental construction to guide her, she focused on trying to give herself a body after he left, returning to reality. It was significantly more difficult to do as she was using it on herself, as well as the fact that creating the image of a human body was much more complex than forming a flexible mental shield or a piece of furniture. She could only be grateful that she only needed the outer image to be created and not the entire structure, organs and all.

When she could get the general shape in mind, it just became a matter of filling in the rest of the image.

Now, when it came to her past life's appearance, Tamamo admitted that there was nothing for her to be ashamed about. She had been average in looks, maybe even pretty depending on the angle, but she had certainly been comfortable in her body. It would be a great comfort to be able to settle back in her own skin, so to speak, while coping in this alternate universe.

She also admitted that it would be very boring. She could just hear her mother chiding her on being unoriginal. Infinite possibilities of how to look and she chose herself? What a shame! What a waste!

Her mother's nagging was always a motivating factor (even when not actually there), and so Tamamo formed something else. Still not quite original, but better than her first thought.

The female protagonist of _Persona 3 Portable_.

It made her laugh when she completed it, looking over herself in her new appearance. There it was, the two protagonists in one body. A fanfic waiting to happen if it hadn't already.

She didn't go with the Gekkoukan uniform to avoid suspicion, instead creating some clothes that looked nice since she couldn't exactly recall any of the actual outfits. But even without the iconic uniform, her new appearance was still how she remembered the female protagonist looked like. Or, at least, pretty close.

She might've gotten a few things wrong, like the shape of the eyes or the precise shade of hair and eye color. The hair, at least, was probably redder (pinker, really, but she wasn't about to admit that; red sounded much cooler) than canon. But she was satisfied with it and, considering how the female protagonist was practically Minato's opposite anyway, the color fit.

The next time Minato dove into his mind, she grinned over his childish enthusiasm at seeing her change shape.

She could've gone without the comment of her really acting like her namesake, though.

* * *

Years passed.

Minato, for all his words otherwise, became more and more jaded as time marched on. His reclusive habits got worse, exacerbated by his introverted nature.

The words of his peers didn't help. Neither did the constant moving. They watched him whenever he came to class, proclaiming him gloomy when he preferred to stay alone than spend time with anyone. But what was the point if he wasn't going to be there long anyway? That was always his argument when Tamamo asked him about it and, for the life of her, she couldn't find it in herself to argue.

Besides, on the rare occasions that he did hang out—usually with cousins or some other family member and almost always at Tamamo's urging—they called him weird for his habit of staying so quiet that they sometimes forgot he was even there.

Minato was a strong kid with pretty tough skin, but Tamamo knew how easily and quickly he could be worn down. She did her best to mitigate the damage, protecting him from his own thoughts, but some emotions were too strong and tore through any defenses she could put up.

In the end, all she could do was cheer him on from her little corner of his mind and watch with a heavy heart as he locked away his childish self in order to grow up and survive.

Gone were the books of mythology and wonder, replaced by an mp3 player with the volume turned up loud enough to drown out the world.

Gone were the days when he was honest and true to himself without thought, replaced by a defensive mask he wore for each person that interacted with him. Respectful and almost open for teachers. Distant politeness for family members. Detached interest for his more annoying peers. And so on.

Tamamo watched and feared, no matter how he tried to reassure her that he was okay and that he would never be able to do that with her.

"I can't exactly fool someone that lives in my head," he reasoned with an almost cheeky grin.

But it wasn't _that_ that she was afraid of. Just about everyone had different masks, different facades, that they showed other people. And anyway he did have a mask for her even if he said otherwise. He just interacted with her so much that he didn't realize it even existed.

No, what she worried about was how reliant he was on each mask. Even she had a hard time keeping track of who he actually was underneath it all sometimes, and she lived in his head. Was this what would make him so adept at forming Social Links later on? But if all he showed was another face, another mask, readjusting himself for every person he met, and not his real self… was it really a true bond?

She didn't know. But maybe, she hoped, _maybe_ the promise of having someplace to settle down at for more than a few months would help. He couldn't interact with people for too long because pretending tired him out. As much as she feared it, the fated year could be good for him.

In the meantime, she provided support as usual, giving him a place to retreat within himself when reality proved too much to bear. She gave him distractions in the form of mental lessons. Despite his protests, she taught him how to shield his thoughts from her if he wished, teasing him about how there were some things an adolescent male thought about that she didn't need to know. His embarrassment and meek acceptance afterwards was relieving (and hilarious) in its authenticity.

She learned more of who he was day by day, wishing she could record the little moments of his life. Like his first time visiting an aquarium, or his reaction the first time a girl called him cute (which would pile up so much that he eventually became desensitized). Memories she could have shown him to indicate how far he'd come later in life… if… if he got far enough at all.

("I should tell him," she would say to herself when the grief and terror of what was to come became too much to bear. "I should tell him. Prepare him for the tasks ahead. Somehow.")

(But then he would talk to her, the remnants of his innocence shining through his impassive demeanor, and she would fall silent.)

As his sixteenth birthday came and went, Tamamo watched with no little trepidation as Minato prepared to move yet again—only this time, to Iwatodai. To Tatsumi Port Island. The Gekkoukan High School uniform was sent to him in the mail, which he hung up to wear when he finally set out.

When she went to look, she observed that the chains around Death's door had loosened, allowing it to creak open just the tiniest bit.

She sighed. "'And so it begins'… right?"


	4. Press Play

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : My living soundboard for this work told me, after reading the chapter, how funny he thought it was to put two characters with such passive personalities in this situation. "It helps to keep the plot intact," he said, "but not for really, actively changing stuff. Are you going to?"

Who knows? Status Quo Is God. Except when it's not. You'll see.

Also, **WARNING** , there will be some slight ribbing on Yukari in this and some future chapters (and maybe some other characters later on; here's lookin' at you, Junpei). Personally, I like her just fine, having watched her growth from the Journey to the Answer and back again for _P3P_ 's Girl's Side, but that does not change the fact that characters will have opinions that may be less than favorable at the start, especially considering first impressions.

 _I do not like to bash characters personally_ and do not go out of my way to do so. That's much too troublesome. This is just here to warn you all ahead of time so I don't get the nagging reviewer that doesn't know how to differentiate character opinions from writer opinions. Thank you.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Four  
**

* * *

It was late into the afternoon when Minato finally set out, bidding his aunt Sayuri goodbye as he left. She was kind enough to pack him a bento to eat on the way, insistent on giving him one last home-cooked meal.

He smiled faintly in thanks and took it gingerly. He was honestly grateful. While he had lived in many relatives' houses, this was the one he had stayed in the longest. Even when she was having financial hardships, this aunt had welcomed him into her home and didn't insist on shipping him off as soon as possible. Even if he'd had to move out again for a while when it got particularly bad, she always invited him back when her life was relatively stable again.

It had been… nice. Like he wasn't just some extra baggage or a box of half-remembered mementos of his parents, shipped from place to place because no one knew what to do with him but couldn't just throw him away either.

"Do you have everything? You should hurry to the station soon, dear," his aunt said, looking at the sky with a worried furrow in her brow. "There's no direct route from here to the Iwatodai Station, so you'll have to do some walking to get to the train route that stops there. And even then it may take time for you to find that dorm of yours…"

Minato nodded, patting his new uniform's jacket for the pamphlet that came with his transfer papers. It had a map of the area as well as the address of the Iwatodai dorm that he had been assigned to. It was a bit of a walk from the station, but nothing he couldn't handle.

His aunt smiled, encouraging. "All right, then. Off you go." She waved as he started down the path. Though she had offered to drive him to the station, he declined, mindful of her work schedule. "Take care of yourself, Minato-kun!"

He waved over his shoulder, adjusting the straps of his bags until they were rearranged more comfortably. When he was a sufficient distance away, he slipped on his headphones and pressed play. The heavy beats flooded in and soon he was immersed in the flow, letting the music carry him onward.

* * *

The train ride was long, but he'd dealt with worse modes of transportation and for far longer travel times. He could only be thankful for his mp3 player for keeping him relatively occupied and awake enough to listen for his stop. If he had fallen asleep, he might've missed it.

Of course, if he wanted to he could have probably bugged Tamamo into a conversation. Rare was the time that she wasn't willing to chat, likely even more bored than he was, stuck in his head. But the past few days she had been rather quiet, and he was reluctant to interrupt.

When he had asked if something was wrong, she told him only that she was fine and was simply concentrating on something.

Curious, he had wondered if he could "dive in", as she phrased it, and see what kept her so busy. _Is it something big?_ _Another ability?_

The ones that she developed were pretty neat, in his opinion, especially after she practiced with them a while. The ability she used to shield him from nightmares while growing up, for instance, had progressed from plain shields to what seemed like a full barrier, lighting up the dark space of his mind like a makeshift starlit night sky.

" _No, not really,_ " Tamamo had replied, tone distracted. " _Don't worry, Minato. I'm pretty much just introspecting at this point._ " He felt her presence brush against him—her version of pushing him along. " _Just focus on yourself for a while. Get used to your new surroundings and whatnot. I'm just fine._ "

Thus, he was stuck with only his music for company, watching the scenery of Japan rush by. He was all too eager to get off the train and stretch his legs when his stop arrived, grabbing the directions he wrote to get to the other train line that would take him to the Iwatodai station.

The streets were busy as he passed, crowded to the point of making him feel mildly claustrophobic. Minato focused on ignoring them, pausing briefly to turn his music up louder before continuing on his way.

By the time he boarded the train, he was all but sighing in relief at escaping the crowds. There were so many people… Too many, in his opinion. They crowded the streets like ants, gathering to the point that their numbers seemed endless. Not for the first time, he wondered if they would react the same way as ants if he introduced a little chaos in their midst and scatter, wildly breaking formation in their panic.

There was a light tap from the back of his mind and Minato stifled the urge to grin. It never failed to amuse him when he could manage to exasperate Tamamo enough to deliver her little mental slap upside the head.

(She had worked so hard to get the feeling right, too.)

 _Still busy?_

" _Nope,_ " Tamamo said airily. " _I wasn't really busy in the first place. Just… distracted._ "

Minato cocked his head to the side. _With what?_

She sent him an image of something (that was another of her little abilities she'd honed over time; she called it "projection"). Minato frowned when the image entered the forefront of his mind, trying to make sense of it.

It looked like a school blackboard, covered with writing. The shapes of the characters she used were familiar, but they certainly weren't in Japanese. Was that English?

He sent the question to her. She hummed in response.

" _Yes. I default to writing it, it seems, though I can read and understand Japanese thanks to you._ " It sounded as if she was muttering, making him wonder if he was meant to hear all that. Then, somewhat louder, she explained, " _I retain a lot of memories of… well, different things. I was just trying to get them all organized to refresh myself._ "

It was times like those that it occurred to Minato that his Other—as he still secretly called her sometimes simply because it was habit—was quite an enigma. All the readings he'd idly done over time, plus all the shows and movies he'd watched, had told him much about people with voices in their heads. He had done the research initially in order to _keep_ her voice in his head, so terrified he was of being abandoned by his only constant since childhood (which was probably worrying in and of itself).

Just about none of what he found meant good for him and for her.

And yet, while she was definitely a voice in his head and not an imaginary friend, as some of his ruder cousins liked to tease him about, Tamamo often felt like something much more. She wasn't just a mish-mash of random or disturbing utterances and, while she instructed him on what to do sometimes, she didn't try to force him into anything. She thought and considered and _learned_ , often to both their benefits.

Minato didn't know exactly what his Other was. Couldn't define her. And he respected the fact that she wasn't willing to tell just yet, fumbling around with halfhearted answers that told him she wasn't quite sure either. He only told her once that he believed they had a symbiotic relationship. She blandly told him that she was flattered he compared her to a parasite, but ultimately agreed. It was the best description either of them could come up with thus far.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Minato ruefully added this instance to his ever-growing list of questions to ask her about later, when she was willing to answer them. Then, filing the list away, he settled further into his seat.

 _So what do you think this Tatsumi Port Island place will be like?_

" _It'll absolutely change your life,_ " Tamamo drawled before pointing out, " _You've lived there before._ "

 _I know, but I hardly remember it._

She chuckled. " _True. Still, I think it'll be fine. All I know about it are bits and pieces, but even on that pamphlet it looked like a nice place._ "

 _Yeah…_ He sighed. _I guess what I'm most worried about is the new school. Been the new kid so many times, but…_

" _You'll be fine, Minato._ " There was a small brush on the back of his mind; a gentle pat on the head. " _Your new school might have a few… surprises, but just take it in stride._ "

There was something odd about the way she said that last part, but Minato didn't dwell on it. If she wanted to clarify, she would.

* * *

It was dark when the train finally rolled to a stop at the Iwatodai station. Tamamo grumbled about delays all the way out of the train and he resisted the urge to laugh.

 _What're you complaining about? At least you didn't have to sit through the extra time on those godawful seats._

" _Maybe not, but the stronger emotions and sensations you experience, the more likely it is to drift back to me—shield or no shield,_ " Tamamo said. He could almost see her analyzing the barrier in his mindscape, frowning in the way she did when she thought something was inadequate. " _Besides, it_ looked _uncomfortable. Imagination is pretty much all I need to feel sore._ "

Minato snorted, about to reply, but was interrupted when the power cut out all around him and the world was bathed in a familiar green hue. He blinked in surprise when it happened and peered around at the clock set up on the station, ignoring the blood-like substance that dripped down its surface. Midnight.

 _Oh wow, it_ is _late._

" _And you've got class tomorrow. So let's get a move on and find your dorm so you can sleep._ " Despite her casual words, his Other sounded uncomfortable.

Deciding not to point it out, Minato shifted his bags and started walking. His footsteps echoed eerily along the still streets, coffins lining the buildings and sometimes scattered along the roads themselves. Minato paid them no attention, weaving around them almost carelessly as he kept track of what street he was on relative to the directions he wrote out to find the dorm.

Eventually, the Iwatodai dorm building came into view. He double-checked the address, confirming it for what it was, before walking up to the doors and tugging one open. Stepping in, he set aside his bags and was mildly surprised when someone called out to him.

"Welcome." It was the high, childish voice of a young boy. Turning his head, Minato found the child standing by the counter to the side. Blue eyes, almost too bright to be real and practically glowing, stared back at him, a slight smile on a cherubic, paper-pale face. "You're late. I've been waiting a long time."

* * *

It was creepy, Tamamo thought. Even creepier than watching it happen in the game, when Pharos was just the "Mysterious Boy" whose identity was, as stated, a mystery.

And if she couldn't hear his thoughts broadcasting right now, she would have found Minato's lack of reaction just as creepy. She certainly had while playing the game. As it was, she just had to refrain from snorting when he thought, louder than he probably wanted, _What the absolute_ hell _?_

The undercurrent of disbelief shone through like a beacon, bright and strong. She could pick out the scattered thoughts of him being more tired than he thought he was from travel if he was hallucinating now.

After all, this was the first time he'd seen anyone active during this time besides himself, his thoughts read, and what would a kid be doing in a high school student dorm anyway, especially so late at night?

A swing and a miss, Tamamo thought, but _c'est la vie_.

"I see him, too. He's there," she assured Minato. Then, blinking, she said, "Actually, I wonder how hallucinations would work on us since even though I'm in your head, we still have separate minds."

In some ways, she still didn't understand how that worked. Not that she was complaining. Even _she_ wouldn't want to fully share a mind with herself if given the choice. She was rather glad Minato had not been subjected to it.

 _You're not helping_ , was Minato's bland reply.

Tamamo shrugged, remorseless, as she watched him take the pen to sign the contract Pharos produced. The single most important line, so innocuous and yet so binding, stood out against the other text as Minato printed his name below it.

Then, Pharos took the contract, bade Minato farewell, and faded into the dark.

As he melted away from Minato's sight, Tamamo spun around, spooked, when she heard Death's door creak open behind her. It stilled when her eyes fell upon it, as if acting innocent.

Uneasy, Tamamo watched the door for several long moments more, only vaguely listening as Yukari confronted Minato— _another person still awake and moving?_ he thought—and pulled out her Evoker—his alarm rang high and clear—before Mitsuru's voice halted them.

By the time Tamamo felt comfortable enough to turn her back on Death's door again to watch the events play out, the Dark Hour had ended and Mitsuru was approaching, looking every bit as calm and poised as her in-game counterpart.

* * *

To be honest, Minato wasn't feeling entirely certain, or safe, being unarmed in a room with two girls bearing guns. As the red-haired, older female drew closer, he edged back as subtly as possible, angling his body for possible escape.

The girl in pink still had her gun drawn, after all.

The redhead gave a distantly polite smile, all business. "I didn't think you'd arrive so late. My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I'm one of the students who live in this dorm."

Minato could only nod warily. He didn't bother to apologize or offer excuses for his lateness—not after that fiasco of a first meeting. Maybe that was why the kid made a run for it.

The girl in pink (still holding her gun), moved just the smallest bit closer to the older woman, eyeing him suspiciously. She asked, in a low tone, "Who's he?"

"He's a transfer student, Minato Arisato," Mitsuru replied at a normal volume. Her red eyes, darker than Tamamo's and less warm, more analytical, glanced over at him in a speculative fashion before returning to the other girl. "It was a last minute decision to assign him here. He'll eventually be moved to a room in the boys' dorm."

The brunette shifted uncomfortably. "Is it okay for him to be here?"

Minato wondered if he should bother with feeling insulted by the fact that she was still talking as if he wasn't right in front of them. At least Mitsuru seemed cognizant that he was quite clearly listening in.

"I guess we'll see," Mitsuru said before turning more fully his way. She made a short gesture to the girl beside her. "This is Yukari Takeba. She'll be a junior this spring, just like you."

Yukari, thus introduced, sent him a grimace of a smile. "…Hey."

Minato eyed her, careful not to give any tells on his face. When she shifted her weight, looking awkward, he asked the question that had been burning away in his mind since their appearance. "Is there a reason why you have a gun?"

… _that you seem to be ready to pull on a hair-trigger?_ he finished silently in his mind.

Tamamo snorted. Minato was actually surprised at how quiet she was being. His Other was normally such a worrywart about everything even remotely related to his health that he would have thought the sight of a gun would have her railing at him to leave immediately. Maybe she was in shock?

Yukari gave a very shaky explanation about a hobby that was not a hobby and Minato could only think that she needed to work on her lying skills. Thankfully for Yukari, Mitsuru smoothly intervened, citing self-defense and excusing it with the fact that it was, apparently, not an actual gun.

Minato eyed it dubiously as Yukari tucked it back in its holster. But he flicked his gaze to Mitsuru and gave a short nod in understanding. He didn't quite accept it, but, well, he had no proof otherwise. And he didn't exactly want to give her a chance to prove it, either.

Mitsuru nodded back before turning, eyeing the clock on the dorm wall. "It's getting late, so you should get some rest. Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway," she informed him. There was a short pause before she added, "Your things should already be there."

The two girls then seemed to share a small conversation in a look. Yukari jerked. "Oh." She stepped forward with a hesitant smile. "I'll show you the way. Follow me."

Gathering the last of his bags that he had left on the floor by the dorm's entrance, he followed Yukari to the back of the lounge, giving Mitsuru a courteous nod as he passed, and climbed up the stairs behind her.

His weariness rose the closer he got to his assigned room, piling on the hours of sitting on stiff seats and other traveling aches and pains. The little adrenaline rush that appeared the moment he saw the gun drawn had mitigated that somewhat, but now that it was gone he was feeling even more exhausted than before. He could barely listen to Yukari talk—something about a key?—and, oh. She asked him something.

What a time to zone out. Ignoring the girl that drew a gun on him for entering the dorm late was probably hazardous to his health, wasn't it?

" _She just wants to know if you have any questions,_ " Tamamo told him softly.

God bless his Other.

"Mm…" Minato tilted his head, trying to keep the urge to sleep at bay. "…Does that kid live here, too?"

Yukari sent him an odd look. "What kid? What are you talking about…?" Her face went strangely pale. "C'mon, it's not funny."

"… _Oh! That's right,_ " Tamamo said with all the air of one experiencing an epiphany.

 _What's right?_

" _I just remembered something, that's all,_ " she replied. She began muttering to herself in distracted tones (something about ghosts), telling him that her attention was elsewhere. Was she working on that blackboard thing again?

"…hey. Hey! You in there?"

Startled, Minato refocused and found a hand being waved in his face. Yukari, noticing he was back in reality, lowered said hand with a small frown.

"Wow, you must be really tired. Sorry, but I just have one more question," she said. She looked troubled. "Was everything, er, _okay_ on your way here?"

Minato blinked slowly, trying to think of anything out of the ordinary that happened on his way to the dorm. Nothing in particular came to mind. "Yeah."

"I see…" The anxious expression on her face didn't fade even as she shook her head. "Never mind, then. I'll just be going. Goodnight."

Too tired to think of doing anything more, Minato entered his room without further ado and all but collapsed on his bed. He didn't even bother changing out of his uniform, despite the wrinkles that were sure to accumulate when he woke up.

As he sank into sleep, he felt Tamamo's presence rise up to meet him, pulling him deeper into the safety of his mind. He didn't resist. She would watch over him, as she always had. The silent sentinel of his dreams.

Distantly, he wondered if she still dreamed.

* * *

It was a good thing that Minato had been so exhausted that he fell asleep almost instantly when Tamamo met him in his mind. It allowed her to guide him safely to the deeper levels of his subconscious just before her little neighbor decided to finally make his appearance. Outside of the Dark Hour, too, she noted. Though she supposed that didn't matter, as they were both in Minato's head.

"How strange," said the avatar of Death. "You are here just as I am, and yet we are not the same."

Tamamo eyed him, not quite wary but not fully relaxed either. He didn't have his memories, not yet, but he was not at the point of understanding humans either. He was still _otherworldly_ in a way that her human mind could not fully comprehend. If she could still be called human, at any rate, parasitic spirit that she was.

"That's true, I guess," she said eventually. She spoke slowly, testing the waters. The yet unnamed Pharos only looked back at her, that slight and empty smile on his face. She smiled wryly in return. "We're very different, actually."

Not-Yet-Pharos's bright blue gaze left her and instead took in the mental barrier system she had in place around Minato's mind, visible by the faint shimmer they gave in the dark space.

Sometimes, Tamamo thought about changing the look of Minato's mindscape—now that she had a handle on mental construction it would be easy even without Minato's help—but the dark had grown comforting over the years she had existed there. Which was a surprise, as she had not been very fond at all of being in the dark, physically or metaphorically, in her past life.

However, as she saw Pharos's eyes trace the shimmering mental shield, it was nearly worth it if it managed to put that look of intrigue on his face. The first time she had constructed the barrier and set it up, she thought it looked as though she was surrounded by a field of stars.

She wondered if Pharos had ever seen the stars. Or taken the time to appreciate their beauty if he had.

"You protect him," Pharos spoke up once more, eyes still on the shield but focusing on a certain spot where it glowed particularly bright. "You are here, but you choose to stay and help him instead of leave." His head tilted, cat-like. "Why do you choose to stay?"

Tamamo looked away this time, gaze linking on to the same point his was. "I don't really have a choice."

What else could she say?

Pharos looked back at her, the smile on his face widening. "It seems we all have something that we must learn about ourselves."

His tone was full of implications, but try as she might, Tamamo couldn't seem to grasp what he was trying to say.

He chuckled. "As you said, we are very different. And yet, we are still similar. You should… keep that in mind." And then he faded, his presence returning to Death's door.

Tamamo stared at the spot he previously occupied. Then, hypocritical as it was, cursed how everyone in the _Persona_ universe had to be so cryptic.

* * *

The introduction to Gekkoukan High didn't go half as badly as Minato had expected it would. He had wanted to go alone to get a fresh look at it while attracting as little attention as possible, but Yukari's (and Mitsuru's, he supposed) good intentions kind of ruined that. It made him uncomfortable to already be approached with weird (and unsubtle) questions during the welcoming ceremony and hear whispers throughout the day, but he supposed he'd heard worse.

Then he met Junpei Iori. There were some ulterior motives behind the other guy approaching him, sure, but at least he had the guts to approach Minato upfront rather than in hushed conversations where open retaliation would be frowned upon.

Minato could respect that sort of forthright behavior.

Yukari's approach just then was a bit of a downer, though. Minato wasn't sure if he could tolerate the rude tone she used, but then again she and Junpei apparently knew one another. Maybe that was just their dynamic?

"Looks like we're in the same homeroom," Yukari started, looking his way and all but dismissing Junpei.

Minato wondered what she wanted. "Yeah, I know." It was kind of hard to miss, really. She was seated right in front of him.

Despite his dry answer, she smiled. "Funny, huh?"

He didn't think so, but thankfully Junpei spoke up again, interrupting whatever he could have said. He got straight to the point, too, asking them to tell him about why they came to school together.

" _High schoolers,_ " Tamamo scoffed. " _You gossip about the weirdest things sometimes. It's your first day here at this school and everyone wants to know what? The transfer student coming in with the popular girl. Of course. How… cliché._ "

 _Better than being told I was haunted_ , he reasoned.

" _At least that one was somewhat truthful,_ " Tamamo shot back. She paused. " _And done with good intentions._ "

Then, Yukari said something stupid (" _Oi, Minato. That's rude._ "). Or rather, she asked something stupid. "You didn't say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?"

Honestly, she was just saying that she was worried about people talking about them coming to school together and then she words a question like that. Couldn't she have phrased it any other way?

He didn't reply, thoroughly speechless, which only seemed to perturb the brunette more. "Seriously! Don't say anything about last night, all right?"

That was even worse.

" _Hey now, it's just foot-in-mouth syndrome at its finest,_ " Tamamo said. She sounded far too amused. " _Maybe a bit of word vomit, too._ "

And now Junpei was staring at them with wide eyes.

 _Shit_.

"You should… be careful about how you say things," Minato suggested, with difficulty, before things could devolve any further.

Yukari blinked at him. "Huh?"

"'Don't say anything about last night'…?" he parroted before jerking a thumb in Junpei's direction.

The brunette appeared to visibly soak in her own words, following his gesture to the gaping Junpei. She colored. "H—Hey! Wait! That's not—I mean, no! Stop it! Don't get the wrong idea!"

"I got to the dorm we're assigned to late last night," Minato cut in with a small sigh. "I was tired, but she and… Kirijo-senpai apparently thought they saw something when I arrived." He shrugged.

Junpei relaxed, comical expression melting away. "Saw something? Wait, you guys live in that one dorm kinda near the station, right? It was probably just a bunch of punks stumbling home drunk."

He sounded a little sour at that, but Minato didn't comment on it. "Probably."

Yukari, still looking flustered, left soon after for club activities, but not before warning Junpei to not spread rumors.

Junpei watched her go, looking partly amused. "She's so paranoid. Like anyone actually takes rumors seriously." Then, turning back to Minato, he grinned. "Anyway, it's your first day here and things are already picking up! This is gonna be a fun year. I can feel it!"

In the back of Minato's head, Tamamo laughed. " _He doesn't know the half of it._ "


	5. Shadow Fight, Full Moon Bright

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : I'm glad people seem to be enjoying this. It's fun to write and try to reimagine scenes that people have no doubt watched and read countless times before. I admit I was a little nervous that people wouldn't give it a chance given the "OC SI" note straight in the summary hanging over this like a neon sign, and the fact that I can't write Minato as a stoic badass… Still, to all you readers, skeptical or enthusiastic, thank you for giving this a shot.

Also, I would like to note that this attempt at a FANOWRIMO challenge involves more than just reaching the 50k word goal. I want to keep writing and updating throughout November… in order words, to update pretty much daily the entire month regardless of word count. I don't know if I'll be able to keep up the steam for it, but hopefully I'll make it at least halfway before tapering off.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Five  
**

* * *

The next evening, Minato met Shuji Ikutsuki, Chairman of the Board of Gekkoukan High, and felt Tamamo's normally warm presence go cold.

Ikutsuki, in Minato's opinion, looked like any other authority figure of the high profile school. At first glance, Minato felt wary just at the sight of the long hair, glasses, and pressed suit. Something about the combination seemed off, like the villains portrayed in disguise in anime. But then the man opened his mouth and he seemed so very… plain.

But the corner of Minato's mind that Tamamo occupied seemed to freeze over. He had trouble concentrating on the conversation after that and excused himself before long.

"Sorry," he said, though he wasn't sure he meant it. "I've had a headache since school ended. I'd really just like to go sleep it off right now."

"Oh, of course," Ikutsuki said with a kind smile. "Feel better, Arisato-kun."

"Goodnight," said Yukari.

Minato nodded and briskly walked away, taking the steps two at a time before hurrying to his room, inconveniently at the end of the hall. Once he entered, he practically threw his bag by his desk before flopping onto his bed on his stomach.

"Tamamo," he called his Other aloud, "what happened?"

Silence met him. He was just starting to fear that she wouldn't respond when she sighed. " _I don't… like that guy._ "

Minato shifted, rolling so that he was on his back and staring at the ceiling. _Why? We just met him._

He felt her hesitate and knew she was holding something back. It was a familiar sensation. She did the same thing whenever he asked her more about herself. " _…I just have a feeling, I guess. Watch out for him, Minato._ "

Minato agreed, confused as he was, and, sensing the conversation's end, got back up to prepare for bed. As he shuffled about his room, he pondered Tamamo's words.

Again, he felt that there was so much he was missing about his Other. It didn't so much as bother him, per se, but he felt as if he were always playing catch up with her. Even when he was a child, she was older than him and seemed to know much more. It had been a goal he eagerly chased after to match her in age and finally be equals, but even now, when he more or less appeared the same age as she did, she still felt frustratingly out of reach.

It was almost funny.

"You'll tell me one day," he said, voice firm.

He could be patient. He could wait.

" _Of course,_ " Tamamo replied.

They depended on one another, after all. He relied on her intuition and knowledge when his wasn't enough, just as she relied on him to keep them both alive and safe. They coexisted peacefully, trusting in the system they had created when Minato was just a boy with bad luck and a neglectful extended family. Neither of them had to—Minato could certainly survive on his own and Tamamo could easily ignore him and barricade herself in his mind—but they did so anyway, depending on one another for survival.

Symbiosis.

Maybe that was the wrong term in the end, but he liked to describe it that way.

It gave him an excuse to want to keep her around, and it kept her from those horrible bouts of guilt and self-loathing. He laughed with her whenever she called herself a parasite, but it left a bitter aftertaste.

They depended on one another, so however long it took, he could wait.

* * *

Minato was certain that he fell asleep, but the next moment, he found himself opening his eyes to a blue, blue room, sitting across from an old man with an obscenely long nose.

Tamamo groaned. " _Minato…_ "

 _What?_ he asked, defensive. _It is!_

The old man introduced himself as Igor and the short-haired blonde woman standing beside him as Elizabeth. They were apparently residents of the room they were in, the Velvet Room. Wherever it was.

"This place exists between dream and reality, mind and matter," Igor explained, though it was vague at best. It sounded impressive, at least. "Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place…"

Minato watched as Igor waved a hand, a familiar document appearing out of thin air on the table before them. It was the contract he'd signed back in the dorm… Did that mean that creepy boy was around, too?

Igor smiled amiably. "Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so." He leaned forward in his chair. "I only ask one thing in return: that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices that you make."

 _I chooseth this fate of mine own free will,_ Minato echoed, remembering.

" _Yes,_ " Tamamo said, solemn. " _The ability to choose is at once both freeing and yet utterly binding. What it will mean for you will develop soon._ "

Minato dipped his head in a nod. "I understand."

A key appeared in Minato's hand, silver and intricately designed. Igor bade him to hold on to it.

"It has been years since we've had a guest," the goblin-like man mused. It would have sounded almost conversational had it not been for the peculiar gleam in his bloodshot eyes. "And it appears that you have quite an _unusual_ passenger with you."

Minato eyes widened. Passenger? Did he mean—?

The old man chuckled. "My dear young man, as I said before, this place exists in a space beyond reality… To be quite honest, however, I expected her to either appear here beside you, as she was, or to be left behind entirely. That she remained within you is intriguing indeed… Your souls are quite deeply intertwined."

The woman standing beside him finally moved, her head tilting as she looked upon Minato with unnerving yellow eyes. "I would like to look into this further as well."

"As you will," Igor said before waving a hand. "'Til we meet again…"

* * *

Tamamo felt the change as Minato's consciousness, with her in tow, left the Velvet Room and returned to sleep. It was odd, like what she thought teleporting would feel like (the infamous "hook behind the navel" sensation), and she wasn't quite sure that she liked it. She would have to get used to it, though. Minato would be making a lot of stops to the Velvet Room in the future.

Turning, she paused when she saw a new structure in the mindscape. A single blue door, sitting innocently opposite of Death's door. Bypassing the Shadow's seal, Tamamo looked up at the door with wonder. She knew the Velvet Room's door could pop up in odd places to allow the main characters to access its residents and acquire their aid for their journeys. But she had never thought one would appear within the mindscape.

A thought struck her. The Velvet Room connected to various points of the outside world. The door before her now… could it possibly…?

She reached out for the knob and, after taking a breath to gather her nerves, twisted it.

The door opened, but no link was established. It was just an empty doorway.

Closing it quietly, she tried to tell herself that she wasn't disappointed.

* * *

Minato worried. Ever since he woke up from that strange dream, Tamamo had gone quiet. The coldness she exuded since meeting Ikutsuki had faded, but in its place was an anxious silence.

 _What's wrong?_ he asked as the Classic Literature teacher, Mr. Ekoda, went on another tangent, giving the class a break from taking notes.

" _It's nothing,_ " was Tamamo's reply.

He frowned. _No, it's not. You're giving off a weird feeling._

" _I…_ " she trailed off. There was a long pause and Minato nearly prompted her again when she continued, " _Tonight. It's the full moon, isn't it?_ "

… _Maybe?_ He had glanced at his calendar in the morning before he left to double-check the date, as was his habit. There had been one of the little moon symbols by the number, but he couldn't remember which one it was. _What does that have to do with anything? You've never been affected by a full moon before._

" _Just promise you'll be careful tonight, okay?_ " Tamamo asked, and his halfhearted theories quieted unsettlingly when he noticed that her voice was trembling. " _Tonight and every full moon night from now on._ "

She was afraid, he realized. Terrified, even.

He couldn't remember much of the night his parents died, but he could remember with clarity the high terror in Tamamo's voice when she first awakened, calling his name with such fear. This was the first time he had heard her sound that way since then. And he would be lying if he said it didn't make him nervous.

But he was no longer the little boy that she had to comfort and guide to safety. They could work together now.

 _I promise,_ he told her earnestly. _No matter what happens, I'll protect us both.  
_

* * *

The rest of the day passed by in a blur.

Tamamo's warning stuck with Minato through the rest of his classes, keeping him hyperaware. Even after school, as he walked with Junpei to check out the Paulownia Mall, he kept careful watch of everything.

"Dude, you okay?" Junpei asked after pointing out the local arcade, Game Panic. "You look… wired."

"Too much caffeine," Minato replied.

"Ah, I see," Junpei said, nodding sagely. "I get that. Sucks, though. You're so gonna crash later."

"Let's hope it doesn't happen soon, then." He gave an easy grin. "I'd feel bad if you had to drag me all the way back to my dorm."

Junpei sputtered a laugh at that. "Like I would, man. You're on your own!"

" _This guy…_ " Tamamo chuckled, sounding fond. " _What a liar._ "

Minato privately agreed. The other teen was taking time he could have been doing anything else, like hanging out with other friends, to show the new kid around. Voluntarily. For all his bravado, Junpei Iori was a relatively nice guy.

"Sure thing," Minato agreed. "So those are the hangouts. What about places to eat?"

"Well, there's the usual food court stuff," Junpei said, gesturing to some corner of the mall where said food court was probably located. "Chagall Café isn't half-bad either if you're into that, but if you ask me, if you want food you should go to Iwatodai Station…"

* * *

When Minato made it back to the dorm, it was evening.

Mitsuru greeted him when he entered, sitting at one of the lounge's couches. He nodded to her and to Yukari when she gave her own passing greeting, heading to the back and climbing up the stairs to the second floor.

 _You okay?_ he asked as he entered his room.

" _I'm calmer,_ " Tamamo said, sending him a feeling that was like a shrug. " _That's probably the best we can expect until the night is over._ "

He hummed in response, heading over to his small bookcase and picking out one of the few novels he still had. Then he settled on his bed, not bothering to change, and flipped it open. He didn't want to waste energy studying, especially so early in the year, and he never liked watching TV for long. But he had to do something to keep himself awake. Tamamo's earlier warning made him feel that sleeping would be a bad idea.

So he passed the hours by, evening fading into night, simply reading to himself and occasionally listening to Tamamo read instead. It kept them both awake, with the added bonus of keeping her mind occupied.

Or so he thought.

As midnight neared, Tamamo's voice trailed away into another uneasy silence. But before he could ask her what was wrong this time, or tell her not to think about whatever was scaring her, she spoke up, " _Minato… if anything happens to me tonight…_ "

A well of emotions not his own swirled up—anxiety, distress, anger, helplessness, resignation—breaking through whatever blockade she usually had up and knocking him breathless. As he tried to make sense of it all, tried to rein himself in and find an anchor in the maelstrom of her turmoil, a single thought flitted across the forefront of his mind, no doubt accidental and yet no less clear.

" _Will this be how I die again?_ "

Midnight struck, and as the outside world was bathed in the sick light of the swollen moon, Minato thought he heard a door creak open.

* * *

On the fourth floor of the Iwatodai Dorm, Shuji Ikutsuki entered the Specialized Extracurricular Execution Squad's—SEES for short—command room. Yukari was already there, seated beside Mitsuru at the control panel. The red-haired upperclassman didn't look up at the chairman's entrance, but Yukari did, very briefly, before reluctantly dragging her gaze back to the monitors.

"How is he?" he asked as he crossed the room to take a seat.

"He's… awake," Mitsuru said slowly. Yukari looked back, curious of the chairman's reaction, and saw Ikutsuki's eyes finally snap to the screen. "He's stable as well."

"Interesting," Ikutsuki said, clearly taking in the sight of the teenaged boy on the monitor. He was lounging on his bed, eyes on the book on his lap and clearly unbothered with the world around him. From the lack of emotion on his face, he almost seemed bored. "Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first. Memory loss… disorientation… but this subject is rather unique. He hasn't exhibited any of the common symptoms."

Yukari shifted in her seat, feeling uncomfortable. A part of her marveled at the boy's ability to shrug off the Dark Hour like that while another balked at the idea of treating him like some sort of lab rat. "Subject"? It sounded so… demeaning.

She told the chairman so.

Ikutsuki nodded. "I understand your concern, but it's imperative that we recruit new members." He peered at her, glasses glinting in the monitor's glow. "I heard he's your classmate. Wouldn't you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?"

She winced. "Maybe. But…"

A shrill beeping cut her off before she could elaborate, making her jump. Beside her, Mitsuru reached over to receive the call.

"Command room," she answered tersely. "Is that you, Akihiko?"

The sound of static filled the room before Akihiko Sanada, the dorm's other senior resident, answered. He sounded out of breath.

As he explained the situation, Yukari felt a sinking feeling in her gut, coupled unpleasantly with an elevation in her heart rate. It sounded bad.

And it felt like it was about to get worse.

* * *

Minato jumped, startled, when he heard people running down the stairs, followed by a door slamming on the first floor. Tossing his book aside, he stood up and ran to his door, exiting his room and following the disruptive sounds.

The sight of Mitsuru, Yukari, and the chairman crowding around a silver-haired teenaged male slumped against the door met him as he stepped off the stairs. He approached cautiously, making sure his footsteps were deliberately loud so he didn't startle them. They had their holsters on, with the not-guns strapped in.

Mitsuru turned on her heel, pinning him with a sharp glare that softened somewhat when she saw it was him. She kept her expression stern, however. "Good, you're here. You and Takeba will sneak out around the back while Akihiko and I intercept them from the front. Do not engage battle unless strictly necessary, understood?"

She turned to Yukari then, as Minato had no clue what she was talking about. Yukari nodded, however, and briskly approached him.

"Just come with me," she said, "we don't have time to explain right now."

Minato hesitated.

Mitsuru's voice cut in. No nonsense. "Takeba."

Yukari flinched and hurried to the back door of the lounge, gesturing impatiently for Minato to join her. After a moment's more of hesitation, he followed.

He still felt off-kilter from Tamamo's earlier slip—Die? Again?—and now all of this was happening at once.

What on Earth was going on?

"Ready, Akihiko?" he heard Mitsuru ask from near the entrance. When Minato looked up, he saw the silver-haired student wince as he stood. Ikutsuki was fleeing to the stairs.

"As I'll ever be," Akihiko replied. He tried to roll his shoulder and grimaced at the effort.

Mitsuru sighed. "Don't do more than necessary or you'll need twice as long to recover."

"I know, I know…"

An ominous rumbling sounded behind the front door. Both upperclassmen tensed, looking to one another and nodding. Then, without another word, they pushed the doors open and burst out. Minato thought he heard the sound of a gun firing.

When he redirected his attention to Yukari, he found that she was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Hey," he said, trying to ignore the sound of another gunshot beyond the main entrance.

Yukari jumped, spinning around and glaring. "What!?"

He ignored the sudden hostility, too. She was tense and wound up. He could relate, letting out a slow breath to calm his own nerves that had jumped in response. "We should get going."

He gestured to the door in front of them and Yukari followed his gaze. She nodded, pulling out a key and unlocking the door. When it was open, she motioned for him to step through first so she could close and lock it behind them.

They stepped out into what appeared to be a small alleyway. Yukari stepped forward, taking point.

"We'll head this way to avoid the fight in front," she told him. It seemed talking kept her somewhat calmer, so he didn't interrupt. "We can't venture far in case they need b—backup, but Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai will take care of them and give us the all-clear when it's done."

Minato nodded—it wasn't as if he had a plan and Tamamo wasn't offering anything either. He stepped in line behind her, hands going to his pockets out of habit. The sounds of fighting echoed back to them from the main street, but though he was curious, he felt his survival was much more important than trying to sneak a peek.

The two juniors hurried down the alley before turning down another, slipping around an upright coffin standing beside a dumpster.

Yukari stopped when Mitsuru's voice suddenly rang out from a small communicator on her hip. "Takeba! Do you read me?"

She reached down for it, pressing a button. "Yes! We hear you!"

"Be careful! There's more than one enemy!" Yukari blanched. "The one we're fighting isn't the one Akihiko saw!"

"W—What!?" Yukari gasped.

Minato tensed when a squelching sound reached his ears. He resisted the urge to look over his shoulder.

" _Yukari can technically fight it,_ " Tamamo finally spoke up. If the situation hadn't just gone down the drain, he would've felt more relieved that she'd recovered. " _But she won't be able to. Drag her and run to Mitsuru and Akihiko. If you can lure it there, they might be able to take care of it._ "

Minato didn't ask questions, just followed. He grabbed Yukari's wrist, ignoring her yelp, and started running—sprinting—to the alley's entrance. The thing behind them made a garbled sound and pursued. Yukari shrieked when she saw it.

"What the—That Shadow! It's…!"

They tore out into the streets, dodging more coffins. Not wasting a second, Minato pivoted and kept running towards the dorm.

Up ahead, it seemed the upperclassmen were just finishing their fight. A light-colored, hulking figure with blond hair slammed its arm into a dark blob of a creature, which dispersed in a black and red mist. Another figure, slimmer and wielding two thin swords, stood by Mitsuru.

"Senpai!" Minato called. He didn't care which, so long as they heard him.

Mitsuru's gaze snapped in their direction and she gasped. "Arisato! Takeba!"

"That's the one!" Akihiko called hoarsely, clutching his side.

Minato felt a strange energy well up behind him. Before he could think to do anything, fire erupted, white-hot, at his back, throwing him forward. He fell on his front, skidding against the asphalt. He hissed, seeing stars. Through the pain, he thought he heard Yukari fall somewhere behind him.

"Dammit!" Akihiko cursed. "Polydeuces!"

Something flew over Minato, the displaced air sweeping over him as he struggled to get up.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

Wrong.

This was wrong. This wasn't how the night was supposed to go!

How had so much changed just by Minato staying up and investigating the noises for himself?

Tamamo looked around the mindscape wildly, searching for something, anything, she could do to help.

Her gaze fell upon Death's door and she froze.

Death, in Thanatos's form, had taken care of the Shadow handily in the game, but it needed a way out. It was still sealed and incomplete, so it couldn't appear at will. It had needed Orpheus, or any Persona, summoned so it could channel its power through. And it had needed the surge of power from Minato's full awakening to make it happen.

But with Minato so injured, how would he take an Evoker from any of the others to summon his Persona and complete his awakening? She couldn't tell him to do it earlier; Yukari would've stopped him and he wouldn't have known how to work it anyway—not without a full explanation of why he had to point it at his own head. There hadn't been time for any of that. And would any of the SEES members even think to give him a chance with the battle raging on right in front of them?

She shifted her gaze to the floor of the mindscape. Unless…

Running forward, she fell to her knees at the point where she accessed Minato's lower subconscious. If she felt deep enough, would she be able to reach the point where the Personas slumbered in the sea of his soul?

Tamamo thrust her hand down, reaching. She lowered herself until her entire arm was swallowed by the depths. "Come on… please… he needs you…!"

There was nothing there.

"No!" Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to go lower, sticking her head in and trying to find any sign of a Persona to draw forth. Anything! Anything at all! Even Pixie would do! She could heal! "I don't care about me! At least save _him_!"

And just when she thought she was going to have to immerse herself fully (or resort to insults), something grasped her hand. Almost dizzy with relief, she tugged, pulling it free and—

"Orpheus," she said, awed.

The silvery figure floated before her, his lyre fastened securely on his back.

" **Thou art I…** " he began, but Tamamo jumped as she realized she was wasting time.

"Yes, yes, I know! Now, go save Mina—"

The sound of a door bursting open interrupted her. Tamamo, terrified, spun around as a familiar roar resonated within the mindscape. Pain flashed through Minato's mind. She whirled back, pushing Orpheus towards the screen.

"Go! Now!" she cried, desperate.

The sound of chains rattling filled the air just before she was slammed into from behind. She didn't have a chance to struggle as she was shoved forward, Death's body engulfing hers.

The only thing she could do as things went hazy was scream. _  
_

* * *

Mitsuru cursed as she knelt between the dazed Yukari and injured Minato, red eyes critical as she watched as Polydeuces and Penthesilea circled the large Shadow. Akihiko was further back due to his own injury, and she could not risk leaving their underclassmen unprotected to better command her Persona. Furthermore, she did not even have her rapier at hand; if she got closer she would just get in her own Persona's way.

The Shadow was stronger than they'd expected and kept their Personas at bay with its many sword-like knives. With two members and a recruit down and her attention divided, they were at an extreme disadvantage.

She tore her eyes away from the fight when Minato gasped beside her. She was alarmed when she found him clutching his head. "Arisato?"

The distant sound of glass breaking made her eyes widen. He was summoning a Persona? But how?

A tall figure appeared before them, but Mitsuru did not have time to analyze it fully when it jerked, body convulsing as something tore at it from within. She paled when a tidal wave of power swept over them, watching as gloved hands broke the Persona apart from the inside out, ripping the body to shreds as another form burst free.

The ominous black figure, surrounded by what looked like floating coffins, emitted a horrible sound that was a monstrous roar and a human scream all in one before shooting forward, blade drawn. It tore in between Polydeuces and Penthesilea, its passing blowing them aside from the sheer power it gave off.

Two Personas? Had there ever been someone recorded with such an ability? She had known their newest dorm resident's potential to be high, but this… this was unprecedented.

* * *

 **Kill kill kill kill kill…**

"N—No…"

This was worse.

… **kill kill kill kill kill…**

This was so much worse than she could have imagined.

Tamamo huddled, trying to curl up in as small a form as she could manage. She slammed her hands over her ears, but the distorted voice reached her no matter what she did. The images still appeared even when she closed her eyes.

 **Blood. She wanted blood. Death. Carnage. She** _ **hungered**_ **for it.**

 **She felt the Shadow thrashing beneath her, writhing and trying to get away, but she had it in her grasp. Sadistic amusement flooded through her.**

 **Struggle more, she thought tauntingly, pushing the Shadow further into the ground. She wanted the pleasure of seeing it in agony.**

"No, please…!"

 **Long abandoning her sword, she settled for pummeling the Shadow into the ground. How dare it hurt Minato? Piece of shit! She would tear it apart, see how it liked pain!**

 **Gripping the wriggling limbs, she pulled, relishing in the sounds of the flesh being torn apart. The detached piece kept squirming, still alive, until she crushed it in her hand. It squelched obscenely before dissipating into a bloody, black mist.**

 **A hand holding a knife tried to stab her in the face, but she caught it with ease. She pried the knife out and slammed it into the limb in retaliation, pinning it to the ground where it struggled feebly.**

Death had caught her. Devoured her, even. It dragged her with it on its way out and now she was there. She was Death and Death was her and she had been sealed for so long, trapped for ages, and now she was free to perform her duty—

"No! No, I'm not! I'm not… That's not…"

 **It was dying.**

 **Too fast, too soon. Stupid.** _ **Weak**_ **.**

 **She hadn't punished it nearly enough for its transgression. But she supposed it would have to do.**

 **Pulling her arm back, she brought it forcefully down into the other Shadow's mask. With a satisfying crack, the mask broke, its owner dispersing soon after. She bellowed in her triumph, laughing as the Shadow's power joined with her own.**

Tamamo struggled to pull herself together as Death's bloodlust waned, its power receding. She was swept along, helpless, as it drained from the air, flying back, unseen, into Minato. She gasped when she saw it retreating into the door, dormant again, while she was still connected to it.

No! She didn't want to be trapped there! She would have preferred to actually die than be absorbed into Death!

The door drew her in closer, even as she tried to pull away from Death's grip.

Just as she thought she was going to lose the battle and get dragged over the threshold, something mercifully let her go and she tumbled down, hitting the floor of the mindscape. She gasped at the pain that wracked her phantom body. Sparks flashed across her vision and when she looked down, she found that some parts of her limbs and even a good chunk of her side were missing, as if torn out.

But she was still there, she thought deliriously. She was torn up, but she was still alive, in a loose sense.

Tamamo remained on the mindscape floor, exhausted. Her vision was clouding over and she could barely move.

She still had to… check on… Minato… but… she…

* * *

For the first time in years, Tamamo fell asleep.


	6. In the Wake of His Passing

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Fun Fact: Much of the Arcana Magician encounter last chapter was inspired and influenced by the _Jurassic World_ soundtrack piece "Our Rex is Bigger Than Yours". Very dramatic!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Six  
**

* * *

The next thing Minato knew, he was in the Velvet Room.

Shocked, he looked around at the blue _everything_ , trying to make sense of what happened and why he was there. All he could remember was running, a pain at his back, and then an even sharper pain in his head. Tamamo had done something, but he didn't know what.

His eyes widened. _Tamamo!_

There was no answer.

Heart pounding, his fingers clenched the fabric of his pants as he called her again and again. _Tamamo? Tamamo, answer me! Tama—!_

Across the table, Igor gave a creaky laugh. "Settle down. Your partner is fine… She is simply recovering, as you are right now. It seems that was quite the ordeal you went through."

Minato, feeling drained, slumped in his seat. "Ordeal…? That was… more than that." Whatever it was, it had been a disaster.

Igor hummed. "It will not be the last, nor the most difficult."

Looking up, Minato found that the old man looked… not serious, but certainly more aware. He was smiling in a disquieting way. "Those things… the thing that came out of me… what were they?"

"That, my boy, was the power known as Persona," Igor explained, looking pleased to do so. "It is a manifestation of your psyche. And you, or rather, your partner awakened this power within you."

Minato frowned. "Persona?"

That earned a nod. "A Persona is a facet of your personality that surfaces as you react to external stimuli… Normally, at any rate." Igor chuckled. "You can think of it as a mask that protects you as you brave many hardships."

A mask…

Minato swore he'd heard something similar before, lost amidst the various lectures and small wisdoms Tamamo had imparted to him while growing up.

"Using your Persona ability forces you to channel your inner strength, and evolves as you develop your Social Links—the emotional ties that bind you with others. The stronger your Social Links, the more powerful your Persona ability. Please… remember that."

Ah.

So the stronger the bonds one had with others, the stronger the Persona? And if a Persona was a manifestation of the psyche…

Minato snorted quietly. What a way to say that building strong (and hopefully healthy) relationships with others led to a strong (and maybe even stable) mind. Yes, he'd heard such things numerous times while growing up from his Other when she believed he was being too solitary. She had stopped eventually, seeing that he was quite content with the way he was and did not suffer unduly from the lack of relationships he had. Not that his life would have allowed for any meaningful bonds to be established at the time anyway. "I see."

Igor nodded, apparently satisfied. "Now, then. Time marches on in your world. I shouldn't keep you here any longer. Next time we meet, you will come here of your own accord."

Distantly, Minato remembered the key Igor gave him. He couldn't remember it appearing when he woke up. Was it only meant to appear when it was needed?

"Until then, farewell."

He supposed he would find out.

* * *

Despite Igor's dismissal and the Velvet Room fading all around him, Minato didn't find himself returning to reality just yet. Instead, he found himself materialized in front of the blue door in the depths of his own mind.

Minato took in the familiar star-like barrier that shimmered around his mindscape before looking around, trying to find Tamamo. Whenever he made a dive he was usually able to pinpoint her location and use that as a guide, but this trip hadn't quite been made of his own volition.

Venturing forward a few steps, he tentatively called out, "Tamamo?"

"Ah… Minato…" Tamamo's voice responded, but she didn't step into view.

That was strange. "Where are you?" He took another few steps forward, looking around. She wasn't anywhere nearby him, he could sense. She was somewhere… to his right?

Turning, he paused at the sight of heavy blue curtains (the same blue as the Velvet Room, he noted) drawn over a section of his mind. A quick trace of his mental map from past dives told him that it was the little corner she usually occupied. The one she had been asleep in before and lingered around even after awakening.

He took a few steps toward it, curious.

"W—Wait! Please, stop!"

His steps halted and he cocked his head to the side. "Tamamo? What's going on?" Suspicion began to wind its way through him, his mindscape reflecting the emotion with a white mist. "Why're you hiding?"

She didn't reply.

She also didn't stop him again as he continued forward, approaching the curtain and grasping the edge. It was only when he began to lift it that she pleaded, "Don't…"

He stopped, curtain lifted up to his waist. Looking down, he could just barely make out the outline of her feet, where she stood just beyond. "Why? What happened?"

"I…" her voice faltered. "That night, against the Shadow… I interfered. You know that. I pulled your Persona out from the depths of your soul to try to help you and… something else happened. I was… damaged."

Damaged?

Without warning, Minato flung the curtain up—then stared, horrified, at the image of his Other.

She was in pieces. Had it not been for the fact that they were within his mind, he doubted she would even be standing. Numerous parts of her body were scrapped away, some limbs torn at joints and revealing the dark matter that made up her body beneath the skin. Her torso was nearly gone in the same manner, as if something had taken a bite out of her.

Even the pieces that remained intact were marked in some way. The skin of her remaining human hand looked as if it were made of glass, dark cracks webbing out against the pale skin. Her face was in the same condition, a gaping hole where her right eye used to be with one long fissure extending across her nose to the other side of her face like a scar.

Tamamo didn't meet his eyes, focusing somewhere around his chest as she attempted to smile and shrug. "It… looks a lot worse than it is…?"

Minato opened his mouth to reply, but nothing came to him immediately. His eyes traced over the wounds continuously, refusing to look away.

Eventually, he managed, "You must be in agony, then."

She did look up then, if only to give him a wry smile. "Gee, thanks." She backed away, however, allowing him to step forward in the new space she created for herself. It was a small lounge, obviously Velvet Room-inspired by all the deep blue hues and elegant furniture, and she dropped herself on the lone chaise longue that was there.

After taking a moment to observe her, he dropped the curtain behind him and sat at an open space by her legs.

"…What _happened_ , exactly?" he asked, eyeing the dark limbs that were once covered by her human shell.

Tamamo apparently felt safe in the closed-off room because she was more forthcoming than usual. She shrugged. "When I saw you in danger, I panicked and decided to try something a little crazy. So I dug around, reached deep into your mind or, rather, your soul. I pleaded for a Persona to answer and save you and pulled up Orpheus…"

She looked up then, staring at the curtain. For a moment, Minato thought she was staring off into space, maybe recalling what happened, only for her to ask him a strange question. "You've seen the door, haven't you? The black one with the Roman numeral for thirteen?"

"The one with the chains? Yeah." He had been mildly curious about it for a time, but it gave off the distinct feeling of "keep away" that Minato abided by his instincts.

"When I pulled Orpheus out, the being that sleeps behind that door woke up," Tamamo said with certainty. She was not guessing or grasping at straws—she had known it for what it was. "Your power to wield Personas was fully awakened and it was attracted to that power… Suffice to say, it went berserk. I was caught up in the reaction and this was the result."

Minato looked in the same direction she was staring, apprehension filling him. "So that thing was a Persona, too?"

He could remember bits and pieces of what happened, fuzzy as his mind had been from the pain. He vaguely remembered the first shining figure that appeared before it was ripped apart from the inside, a black monster breaking free and brutally destroying the other monster.

"In a sense," Tamamo replied.

"And using the power of my Persona did this to you," Minato concluded, grim.

Tamamo shook her head. "No. When Orpheus went out to protect you, I was fine. It was the other… Thanatos. Its power was too strong. We're lucky that it's kept behind a seal, which keeps it under control to an extent… Your awakening just caused a power surge that allowed it to temporarily overpower that seal, but once it faded it had to return."

Then, she lowered her head, looking down at her lap. "And… I was counting on it to go berserk so it could destroy that Shadow. I knew I would get caught up in the reaction, but not quite like this."

Minato's gaze snapped to her. With difficulty, he bit out, "What…?"

"Minato…"

"No, tell me. What did you just say?"

His Other sighed. "It was the only thing I could think of. Yukari and the others were severely unprepared and I knew that Thanatos's power, even for a short time, would be more than enough to defeat the Shadow instead. I didn't expect this result, but I still don't regret it."

He slumped forward, all but burying his head in his knees as he groaned. "Tamamo… that's so… you're so…" He groaned again. "…stupid!"

"You're alive," she retorted. "Your classmates are alive. It worked. I've no regrets."

Minato shot her a scathing look. "Because you did it accepting you would probably die!"

He remembered that accidental thought she'd sent him in the midst of her fear. Confused as he was by the wording, it was clear what she had meant to say now. That his life was more important. That she would gladly die, again(?), if it meant he was safe and sound. Even if being "safe" did not always coincide with being "happy".

Which he certainly would not have been, if what she had planned went as she'd expected.

When he looked her way, he found Tamamo sending him a sad look, which still managed to be effective despite the fact that practically half of her face was missing. In fact, the broken doll look probably enhanced the expression.

He shook his head roughly. He was still mad. Would probably be for a while. So he changed the subject before the familiar fear that rose whenever he thought of his Other disappearing on him could fuel his ire. "You knew about all of this before, didn't you? The Personas and the… Shadows? It's how you knew what to look for, right?"

Tamamo confirmed his thoughts, accepting the slide in topics. "I do know some things—maybe even a lot of things—that are currently beyond your knowledge. I don't mean to keep so many secrets, but I also don't want to just dump all the information on your head. I do promise to share them with you one day, though."

Minato nodded. That was a much easier fact to swallow. She had been doing it since he was a kid and, more importantly, was open about what information she could share and what she decided to withhold. Mostly in regards to how relevant it was for him to know. As he had not known about Personas and Shadows or had cause to believe in them, he could accept why she never brought it up.

He stood up, then, deciding that he'd hung around for long enough and that it was about time for him to wake up. Tamamo followed.

"Minato," she said as he ducked under the curtains.

He paused.

"For what it's worth, while I may have no regrets on the outcome, I am sorry for all of this." Tamamo gestured to herself somewhat sheepishly. "I know it was reckless, but it really was the only solution I could think of at the time."

Minato sighed. "I know." That was partly why he was so angry. He had promised to do his part to protect them both, but she had gone ahead and chosen to do something to save him, without his input. And it had ended with severe consequences on her part.

He had to work harder. To prove he could be relied upon to pull his own weight so she wouldn't have to make such a decision again.

"…Are you okay?" he asked eventually, unwilling to leave before he had a concrete answer. "You said it's not as bad as it looks, but it looks really bad. Is there a reason why you haven't reconstructed your body?"

"I'm still recovering," Tamamo admitted. "It took a lot out of me to separate myself from, er, Thanatos's stronger will. So I guess you could say I'm tired, which hinders my ability to construct things properly. I should be back to normal before long, though."

Minato dipped his head in acknowledgement before continuing on his way, feigning nonchalance despite the way the image of her appearance now haunted him. With barely a blink, he focused his mind outward and disappeared from his mindscape, finally jumping back to the real world.

* * *

When he woke up, he was very groggy and in the hospital, which instantly put him in a bad mood. Unfortunately, Yukari was sitting by his bedside, forcing him to rein in his ill temper to avoid lashing out at her for no reason.

She was still his odd classmate who had a habit of running her mouth at times, but she was a fellow survivor of a supernatural monster attack. He could afford to be more polite with her.

(He didn't think he would ever forget the fact that she pulled a gun on him when they first met, though. Even the fact that it wasn't a real gun didn't excuse anything. In fact, after he learned what said guns—Evokers—were for, he would realize that she probably might have summoned her Persona on him. Which was arguably _worse_ than any possible gun wound.)

According to Yukari, a full week had passed since that night, where he collapsed after displaying a tremendous amount of power. She then shared with him a bit of her past, having felt guilty for apparently knowing his own without his permission.

He didn't quite understand that, but it seemed to make her feel better about herself and the situation, so he held his tongue.

She left before long and Minato rested a little more, trying to wake his body up enough from its lingering weariness so he could leave the hospital. By the time he was signed out and released, it was evening. Trudging his way to the dorm, he barely responded to his dormmates' greetings as he entered and instead shuffled up to his room where he fell asleep.

* * *

Minato took his time going to school the next day, slowly going through the motions of getting ready and leisurely making his way to the train and then to campus. He was nearly late when he finally arrived at the school gate, where Junpei was just crossing.

The baseball-capped teen blinked as he looked over, then lifted a hand in greeting. Minato nodded in return and their paths converged, deciding without words to walk the way to class together.

"Sup, dude? You were out for a while," Junpei commented. "You get a stomachache or flu or something?"

Minato shrugged. "Or something."

"Must've been bad."

They continued chatting idly as they made their way into the school, switching out their shoes and heading on to the second floor where their class was. As they entered, Junpei was greeted by their other classmates and went over to join them. Minato went straight to his seat.

Yukari turned around in her seat as he sat down. "Morning. You seem to be looking better."

"More or less," he replied, pulling out his notebook and other supplies. He'd actually started feeling better sometime during the night, which he suspected was Tamamo's doing. He didn't have the time to confirm this or check on her own recovery, however, in an effort to both not be late to school and not collapse unexpectedly on the way there.

" _I'm doing better,_ " Tamamo piped up helpfully. " _I've started reconstructing my body again, though it's slow-going._ "

Yukari hummed. "That's good, then. Oh, and sorry to just spring this on you right now, but Ikutsuki-san said that he wants to talk to you later today… Come to the fourth floor of the dorm after school, okay?"

He nodded and then Ms. Toriumi strolled into class, effectively ending all conversation.

* * *

Tamamo was glad that the phrase "doing better" was relative. And that Minato had believed her when she'd told him that she was fine.

Because, relatively speaking, she wasn't lying.

When she had first woken up again after passing out from the Arcana Magician fight (though it was less of a fight and more of a beat-down), she had _hurt_. Honestly speaking, she had reawakened not because she was recovered enough, but rather the act of recovery was just so painful she could not ignore it by sleeping.

Everywhere that she had been torn, the areas of her body where pieces had been ripped away by Death's passing, pulsed with sharp pains. She had once had an infected cut a lifetime ago that had become so sensitive that even leaving it exposed to the air had made her hard-pressed to not cry out. These felt the same—so raw and open that she wished she could pass out again to escape the sensations.

These were purely mental wounds, the scars left behind when she tore what she could of herself away from Death's grip and possession. Judging by the state of her "body", she had left pieces of herself behind in her desperation to get away and not be similarly absorbed like the Arcana Magician Shadow. It scared her to know that she had lost something, but didn't know what yet. Just as it scared her that she had been so utterly ravaged by a single encounter.

And Death was not even whole yet. Had only just absorbed one of the other twelve Shadows that comprised its completed form.

It took Tamamo a long while to pull herself together after that, realizing how close she had been to being consumed by the incomplete Death. She had begun to heal when Minato called out to her, his own consciousness reawakened in the Velvet Room.

Knowing that she could not repair her body in time, she had tried to hide, but Minato was truly stubborn when he wanted to be and made the effort moot. Thankfully, the pain had dulled somewhat to more of an aching throb by then, and she could stand before him for long enough before it piled up and forced her to rest halfway through their conversation. By the time he went to class the next day, it was more like she was heavily sore than anything.

So, in all, she had been fine and was doing significantly better, especially in comparison to how it had been like before. But Minato wouldn't appreciate that line of reasoning, so she had to carefully rearrange the barrier of his mind between them, enclosing what she felt in what was essentially a mental steel trap. Thankfully, what he felt from her was already greatly less than what she felt from him, so it didn't take much of her reduced power to set it up.

She felt she was justified in doing so. These early days of adjustment were vital and Minato needed to join SEES—any discomfort on her part had to be ignored for the sake of preventing the Fall.

And so, she hung back as Minato headed back to the dorm, watching distantly as he made his way to the fourth floor and found the other members of SEES waiting for him.

There were many mixed feelings she had when she saw Ikutsuki. The characterization of him in the game during the reveal had been so very abrupt that she hadn't known quite what to think the first time around on the original game—which she supposed was the point. But when she played the game again, through FES, she had felt very angry. The fiery sort of anger that burned so hot that it broke through the opposite end of the spectrum and turned positively glacial.

Thanks to certain "real life" hardships she'd been going through at the time, she'd had no tolerance for manipulative bastards the second play-through on. At all.

Still, she knew that Ikutsuki's misleading SEES to be necessary. The Shadows had to be reunited in order to summon Nyx, so they could fight and set up the Great Seal… If SEES did not, it was an eventual fact of the game that humanity's collective subconscious would call to Nyx inevitably. And simply refusing to fight the twelve Arcana Shadows would be of little use—they were awakened the moment Minato set foot in Iwatodai again and would seek him out in their wish to be one again.

It was a dangerous gamble, especially now that Tamamo was more or less living through it herself. The stakes were so high, but they would all have to bet on it in order to succeed.

So regardless of how bitter she felt to see Ikutsuki and to let him manipulate SEES to his desires, regardless of how sick at heart it made her feel to know the path ahead, she had to let it happen.

Tamamo watched as Mitsuru stood, walking to the table to open the briefcase that sat on the surface. It clicked and she pulled it open, turning it so that it faced Minato. Inside, a brand new Evoker sat, accompanied by the SEES brassard.

* * *

"We want you to join us," Mitsuru said as she sat back down. She nodded to the open briefcase. "We've prepared an Evoker for you. We'd like you to lend us your strength."

Minato felt a spike of trepidation as he looked at the Evoker and armband.

 _My strength…_

It hadn't even been his strength, though. Not really. The one to manage to summon his Persona had been Tamamo. Sure, she had meant to wake up the thing behind the door, but it didn't change the fact that it had been her to do so rather than himself. He had no part in that fight besides running away.

"I…" He cleared his throat. "I'm not sure I'm… ready…"

The gray-haired upperclassman from before, formally introduced as Akihiko Sanada, leaned forward. "Don't think about it too much. You can just hang out with us for a while. See how it is."

Mitsuru nodded. "Please. We need your help."

Yukari glanced between the upperclassmen, expression perturbed. "H—Hey, wait, you can't just ask him like that!" Her brows furrowed as she muttered, "Who could say no to something like that…?" Then, louder, "I mean, it'd be nice if he joined, but…"

Their voices tapered off into silence before looking to him. Even the chairman remained silent, seemingly content to let them talk it out.

" _Minato…_ " Tamamo spoke, " _It might've been me that brought Orpheus out, but his power is yours and yours alone._ "

 _Not that he did much_ , Minato thought sardonically. _That other one—Thanatos, right? That's the one that tore the Shadow apart. That's the thing that impressed them._

" _Minato…_ " she repeated with a sigh.

 _Tamamo…_ he mimicked.

" _It'll be fine._ "

 _You can't promise that._

"… _No. I can't,_ " she agreed." _But they do need you. Shadows are a menace right now and things will only get worse the longer they're left to do as they please. If anything, just do as Akihiko suggests and take some time to get a feel for things._ "

Minato grimaced. "…All right."

There was visible relief on the other teenagers' faces. Ikutsuki sat back, looking pleased.

"Thank you," Mitsuru said. "If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Minato nodded absently, tuning Ikutsuki out as he said something about his dorm assignment. The group was dismissed soon after, with Akihiko and Yukari taking the time to give him their separate thanks and "welcome aboard" messages on their way out. He followed them after sparing a nod to Mitsuru and Ikutsuki.

"… _Oh!"_ Tamamo exclaimed. " _Minato, come in here and take a look at this!_ "

Bewildered, Minato hastened to his room, making sure to lock the door behind him before going to sit on his bed. A quick second of concentration later, he was drawn into his mind.

"What happened?" he asked, careful to not let his eyes linger on his Other's still unrepaired body.

Tamamo gestured for him to come closer and he did. When he approached, he noticed that she was holding something in her hands. It looked like… a glowing string?

"A Social Link!" Tamamo proclaimed. "It's so interesting that it takes this sort of shape. I guess it'll get brighter and stronger as your bonds grow deeper."

Social Link… Oh.

Minato took in the faintly glowing string with renewed interest. So that was the thing Igor had told him to cultivate in order to develop his Persona abilities further… It didn't look like much, but he supposed it was just a fledgling bond.

He hummed. "It's convenient to know that I can just check on them like this."

Tamamo nodded. "I'll help monitor whatever ones that appear and let you know about any changes. Just thought that you'd like to know they were there—and that they weren't part of anything I made so you don't tear them by accident."

Despite himself, Minato chuckled. "Thanks, Tamamo."


	7. The Execution Squad's Purpose

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Something's occurred to me after I've had a couple of reviews addressing the matter of Tamamo breaking the fourth wall, so I'd like to take the time to explain here that this story's OC Tamamo is a "Self-Insert" in the form of "a real person reincarnating into the story/game universe". Tamamo deliberately breaks the fourth wall and references game mechanics and future events because she is meant to represent a reincarnated "me", who has played the game and knows the events and has retained the memories of said events into this "next life" in Minato's head.

I'm not sure how closely people read these stories, but I'm pretty sure it's mentioned in the first couple of chapters that Tamamo had died and was essentially stuck in Minato's head during her reincarnation-gone-wrong. But in case I was too vague and because I do admit that I just assumed that people would know what I meant by "OC SI" in the summary, this will hopefully clarify some things for any readers that needed it. Sorry!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Seven  
**

* * *

When Minato woke the next morning, he was frowning.

He swore that when he was asleep he saw the creepy little boy from before. He'd spoken about nonsensical things, talking about an end to everything.

…It was a weird dream. Little kids should not be allowed to talk about the end of the world so curiously like that, in his opinion.

* * *

As the day went on, Minato found that it just got weirder.

Minato went straight back to the dorm after school that evening, too tired to bother with anything else, and was just relaxing in his room when he got called out to the first floor. Sleepily, he made his way down the stairs to where Yukari was waiting by the front desk. As he approached, he heard someone on the other side of the door just before Akihiko entered.

"Oh, good, you're both here," Akihiko said as he stepped inside, holding the door open. "There's someone I want to introduce—" He turned, opening his mouth, only to pause when he saw no one in the doorway. He took a step back, leaning out. "Hey, hurry up!"

There was a grunt of effort made by a vaguely familiar voice. "Hold your horses… this is freaking heavy!"

Minato's eyebrows furrowed, trying to place the voice. His head tilted to the side. "…Iori?"

Yukari jerked. "What?" She glanced at Minato before looking back at Akihiko, eyes wide. "J—Junpei!? Why is he…? Wait, don't tell me _he's_ —"

"Good, you know each other," Akihiko said as he pushed the door open wider. Junpei Iori walked in past the door, tugging a suitcase or two behind him. He stopped a few feet into the dorm lounge before setting down his bags, grinning as Akihiko closed the door. "He'll be staying here as of today."

"Wazzup?" was Junpei's cheerful greeting.

Minato kind of had to admire that ability to completely ignore the atmosphere. Yukari looked as though she was on the verge of introducing her palm to her face.

Accordingly, Akihiko had found Junpei during the Dark Hour not long ago, having just awakened to his potential. After hearing a brief explanation of the nature of SEES, Junpei had jumped on board to help despite the disorienting feeling that came with experiencing the Dark Hour.

"Yeah, I was shocked to find out about you guys," Junpei admitted. "But I have to say I'm glad I'm not the only one."

Funny. Minato still didn't quite know what to think about meeting all these people capable of staying awake during the Dark Hour at once after years of living through it with just himself and Tamamo. But he supposed he would have been feeling the same way if he had been alone, as Junpei had been before Akihiko found him.

…Yeah. Without Tamamo, living all those years as the only one able to experience the Dark Hour for the longest time would have been rough, to say the least.

Glancing back up at the upperclassman, Minato noticed that he was eyeing the three of them speculatively. When Akihiko caught his eye, the gray-haired teen straightened.

"With Iori here, our numbers should be sufficient," Akihiko said, considering. "I think we should be about ready to start exploring that place."

Minato blinked. Place? What place?

" _Not just_ a _place,_ " Tamamo said, teasing. "That _place._ "

 _Sounds ominous,_ he mused.

Yukari shifted. "You mean… Tartarus?"

"Tartarus…?" Junpei parroted, sounding the foreign word out slowly. "What's that?" There was a brief pause before his next words. "Sounds like toothpaste."

Minato frowned. Tartarus. That was the name of the Titans' prison in Greek mythology. As funny as Junpei's quip was, Minato had a feeling that whatever the others were talking about was as far from funny as one could get.

"We believe we can find the reason for the Dark Hour there," Akihiko replied. "The chairman will be stopping by tomorrow night to give us the details, so be ready."

The upperclassman looked at each of them in turn until they agreed and confirmed they were listening before nodding himself and leaving the dorm again, dismissing them. The three juniors were left standing rather awkwardly in front of the dorm entrance.

"…Here, let me help you with that," Minato offered, stepping forward to handle one of Junpei's many bags.

"Huh? Oh, uh, right. Thanks, man." Junpei shuffled through his belongings, as if trying to decide which to hand over, before handing one of the larger ones to Minato.

Yukari quietly stole away by then, mumbling excuses about classwork, so it was just both boys left to make their way up to the second floor. Akihiko had apparently handed over the key to Junpei's room only to neglect to say which one it was, so there was a bit of trial and error as they tested the doors one by one until the key fit.

When they finally found the room, they settled the bags down, Junpei muttering about plans on how to set the room up. Minato was just about to leave him to it when Junpei stopped him halfway through the door.

"Hey, I heard that something crazy went on around here a while ago," Junpei said, fiddling with the zipper of one of his bags. "Akihiko-senpai said that was the real reason why you were out for, like, a week."

Minato shoved his hands in his pockets so the other teen wouldn't see them clench into fists. "…Yeah. It was…" How had Igor described it? "…an ordeal."

"I heard you kicked ass, though."

There was something weighted in those words, but Minato could only scoff. "I didn't know what was going on half the time and I didn't even fight."

Junpei blinked, as if he'd expected to hear otherwise. "Akihiko-senpai said you managed to summon, uh… those things. Personas?"

"For half a second," Minato said. "And if they said anything about what happened after being mine, then they were sorely mistaken."

"Huh."

Both boys lapsed into silence, lost in their own thoughts, until Junpei broke it again. "We got pulled into some crazy stuff, didn't we?"

Minato thought back to the Shadow and its many hands and knives, the splitting pain in his head, and Tamamo's mangled body. "You have no idea."

* * *

That night, Minato dove into his mind, pinpointing Tamamo's location and heading straight for her.

"You know, you're getting scarily accurate about that," was her greeting when he appeared. She looked better, to his relief, the cracks and fissures along her skin gone or otherwise smoothed over. The missing limbs were still unfortunately missing, however, which she was probably remaking a little at a time. She'd also covered her right eye with a bandage eyepatch, which told him that was still missing, too. "One day, you'll just pop in right on top of me and crush me."

"Are you calling me fat?" he shot, offended, though his lips quirked in betrayal of his amusement. "And I think I can handle not crushing you."

"Hmph. We'll see about that." Tamamo sat sideways on her chaise longue, inviting him to sit by her legs as before. He noticed that she didn't answer his question. "So, what brings you here?"

"Tartarus," he said simply as he sat. As he half-expected, she looked neither surprised nor confused by the name. Merely expectant. "You know about it, don't you? Just like how you knew about Personas and Shadows."

She nodded. "What would you like to know?"

Everything, he didn't say. Truthfully, he didn't know where to begin or what she was allowed to divulge before it became too much. Information was power, certainly, but even he knew that too much could be more of a hindrance than a boon so early on. He only had a tenuous bond with SEES at best and would rather not alienate these other people capable of walking the Dark Hour like himself if he let slip something beyond their current knowledge.

"…What it basically is, I guess, and why they think we can learn about the Dark Hour there," was what he eventually came up with.

Tamamo hummed. "Well, the plainest way of putting things is that Tartarus is a tower. It is also a labyrinth, whose floors change from night to night because of the way it forms. Tartarus also only appeared when the Dark Hour first began ten years ago, give or take a few months, so it was neatly assumed that the two went hand in hand." She raised one shoulder in a shrug. "They're not wrong."

"What do you mean by 'the way it forms'?"

"Tartarus doesn't exist during the day or other times of the night, but it certainly comes from _somewhere_. Specifically, it turns up from the spot your school sits." Tamamo smiled when his head snapped up in surprise. "We haven't been going out late at night and the first night we were here we didn't do much sightseeing, so I'm not surprised you didn't notice. But yes, that's where it is. And because it essentially grows every night from the buildings that make up your school, its internal structure can't be mapped conventionally."

"And the reason why we need an exploration team of Persona-users?" He already knew the answer to this question, but a part of him was hoping she would deny it.

She didn't. "Shadows, of course. Despite the fact that Shadows only ever show up during the Dark Hour, it is generally unheard of for them to be found wandering the streets normally, right?"

Minato nodded. He had never even seen a Shadow before coming to Iwatodai, despite having experienced the Dark Hour for nearly his entire life. Even the sparse memories he had of the Dark Hour as a child living in Tatsumi Port Island never featured one.

"That's because they congregate in Tartarus. It is their home base, you could say." Tamamo hummed again. "Of course, there are variants. Shadows do go out to 'feed', preying on the minds of the people and turning them into the Lost—Apathy Syndrome victims. Your SEES does its best to cut those guys down before they can do too much damage, but some still slip by under the radar."

"I see. Thanks."

He took a moment to compile the information she'd given him, noting certain key points that may become relevant later on. As he filed it all away, Tamamo made a wondering sound.

"I'm surprised you didn't ask much more. I would've thought you'd for sure ask about Tartarus and the Dark Hour starting ten years ago, but you overlooked it so easily." She tilted her head at him, making him wonder briefly if he'd gotten that habit from her or vice versa. "Any reason why?"

"…Aunt Tomoe," he replied after a pause. "Remember her?"

Aunt Tomoe. One of the many aunts he had lived with while growing up, who walked in on him once while he was talking to Tamamo. At the time, he had no qualms about speaking to his Other aloud, not realizing how concerning it would be for an adult to hear, especially so soon after the death of his parents.

For days after, Aunt Tomoe had hounded him about who he was talking to and why, and it was only by listening to Tamamo and answering in a way that merely suggested he'd had an imaginary friend that he avoided full sessions of therapy. And by the skin of his teeth, he was sure.

"That's… surprising. That's not quite the situation I would think of firsthand."

"Maybe not," he agreed. "But whenever I think about knowing things that I want to know but shouldn't, I think about that. I want to know what I'm getting into, but I also want to avoid knowing too much so I don't end up outing myself."

The less he knew at a time, the less chance he had of screwing up when he spoke.

Tamamo chuckled. "Good call. It's good that at least one of us knows the meaning of restraint."

"It comes with the territory of living with an actual voice in my head," he said mildly, ignoring the pleasure he felt at being praised. She laughed, though, so he didn't manage that as well as he thought.

* * *

The next day during lunch break, Mitsuru briefly visited class 2-F to inform the trio of juniors to meet at the dorm lounge once school ended. And Minato did mean "brief", as the upperclassman swept away almost as soon as she gave the orders.

"Wow," Junpei piped up, still staring at the door that had closed with the redhead's departure. "She didn't waste any time leaving."

Minato could just hear the words "I'm almost offended" being left unsaid. Unwittingly, his eyes trailed to the brunette that sat in front of him. Because she would have certainly said such a thing, but instead all he felt from her was an almost bitter silence.

Yukari rolled her eyes—but, for once, it didn't appear to be at Junpei's expense. "She's probably busy with things like _student council_ … unlike us."

There was a low whistle. "Whoa, Yuka-tan, do I sense some hostility there?"

The brunette pulled a face that spoke volumes of how it clearly was, but that she didn't want to admit it out loud. "It's not that I don't like her… She's just…"

As she floundered for an answer, Minato wondered what it said for the future of SEES for two members to be at odds already, for all that it was one-sided.

* * *

That evening, Minato returned to the dorm with his fellow juniors, climbing the steps to the fourth floor and entering the command room where the chairman sat, already waiting with Mitsuru and Akihiko seated on either side of him. He motioned for them to sit and began speaking once they were settled.

"For a long time, Mitsuru and Akihiko were the only Persona-users we had, but that number recently jumped to five," Ikutsuki began, looking at each of them in turn. "Therefore, starting tonight at 12:00 AM, I'd like to commence the exploration of Tartarus."

Junpei raised his hand. "Uh, sorry, I asked this yesterday, but what's this Tartarus thing again?"

Minato waited, half-tuned into the conversation as he compared it to what Tamamo had told him the night before. There was a small mention of it only showing during the Dark Hour and being a Shadow nest, but little else.

"As for gear, you will need a means of defending yourself while in Tartarus outside of using your Persona," Mitsuru said, standing. "The Evokers, as you know, are only meant for summoning your Persona and can't be used as a weapon. As such, you will need a different weapon to help beat back Shadows." She walked to a corner of the command room, rolling out a small stand where two swords of different sizes rested. "We only have these two at the moment for either of you to use, but Akihiko will show you where to get other weapons if you prefer at a later time."

She turned, looking at them expectantly. Junpei jumped up, Minato rising to his feet soon after, and they both headed over to choose which one would suit them for now.

"Which d'ya think you'll use?" Junpei asked, pulling both from the stand by their hilts.

Minato shrugged. "You can choose first." It wasn't like he had experience with any type of sword to make a real choice, anyway.

Junpei nodded absently, weighing both swords in his hands. After a short inspection, he went with the larger, two-handed one. He lifted it and gave a slow swing, careful not to hit anything. "Yeah, this one's okay to me. Feels kinda like a bat. Only, y'know… it isn't."

Minato took the lighter blade, nodding to Mitsuru.

Their upperclassman nodded in return. "Good. Now, we'll be heading to Tartarus later before the Dark Hour hits, so gather in the dorm lounge beforehand so we can depart as soon as possible. Be sure to be ready by then."

With that, they were dismissed to spend the evening hours away and wait for midnight to draw near.

Jittery and anxious about their first actions as part of the squad, the trio ended up sitting in the lounge, chatting about the upcoming "mission".

"So, Yuka-tan, you've seen this Tartarus thing before?"

"A little," Yukari said. "Mostly from the outside. Mitsuru-senpai and Akihiko-senpai are the only ones who've actually gone in before."

 _It's unexplored territory, then_ , Minato concluded. _With no telling of what actually lies behind enemy lines except "Shadows" and maybe "more Shadows"._

" _Basically,_ " Tamamo replied. " _But don't worry. The Kirijo Group backs you guys as much as possible and offers support where it can. Although no teams have been deployed recently as far as I know, they have created certain tools to help make exploring easier. Like Access Points._ "

 _The Kirijo Group does? So they know about the Dark Hour, too?_ That would explain why Mitsuru Kirijo was part of their team. Or would it be the opposite way around?

Tamamo hummed. " _To atone for past mistakes._ "

"…don't you think?"

The background conversation quieted and Minato blinked when he realized it had been directed to him. "What? Sorry, I was thinking."

"Junpei and I were just talking about how we were going to explore Tartarus," Yukari supplied. "He said Akihiko-senpai might be able to guide us or something, but with his injury, wouldn't he have to stay back?"

" _I've always wondered about that,_ " Tamamo said, sounding doubtful. Her wording seemed off, but before he could point it out, she continued, " _Whether it's his arm or his ribs, he can still move around fine, it seems. And if this is just a preliminary exploration to see how you guys do, then he can supervise and just summon his Persona if necessary to back you guys up. Like on that first night._ "

That was… a good point.

Minato relayed it to the other two. Yukari blinked.

"Oh, that's right… Using our Personas' powers takes up some energy, but it's possible…"

"We can do the main fighting," Junpei offered. "Y'know. Keep Shadows off him."

Yukari nodded. "And if something goes wrong or we get overwhelmed, we'll at least have someone with more experience to give us orders." She looked between the two of them. "Should we tell them?"

" _It's still pretty faulty,_ " Tamamo noted. " _Mitsuru will probably shoot it down._ "

Junpei shrugged. "There's no harm in tryin'."

* * *

"I don't think so," Mitsuru said after a moment's thought.

Akihiko straightened. "Why not? I think that's a good plan."

" _You_ just want to get in on the action somehow," Mitsuru shot back. "If you did go, would you be able to refrain from jumping in? This is as much a test of their abilities as it is the start of exploration, you know."

"I know," Akihiko insisted, sounding annoyed. "But you have to admit they raise a good point. None of them have any actual battle experience. Even if I'm limited to having Polydeuces fight for me, I at least have that much to go on. If they freeze, I won't."

Mitsuru glared, but Akihiko stood firm.

The three juniors stared with an air of terrified fascination like children watching their mother and father fight.

They held their breaths as Mitsuru reluctantly backed down. "…Fine. We're only going on a run through the first floor anyway, so there shouldn't be anything too tough. You are to only use your Persona and _only_ if an emergency arises where they cannot respond, understood?"

Akihiko smirked. "Understood, Mitsuru."

Decision thus made, Mitsuru looked at their captive audience. A slight frown crossed her face. "It's getting late, so we'll be heading out soon. Are you three prepared?"

Yukari stammered her way through what was partially a confirmation and mostly excuses to leave. Junpei was apparently reduced to the same state under the force of Mitsuru's lessened but no less fierce glare.

Minato said nothing and simply followed them out as they fled.

* * *

With Ikutsuki staying back at the dorm to await news of their first excursion, the rest of the SEES members made their way through the streets until they pulled up in front of a familiar building. Junpei looked between them all confusedly as he took in Gekkoukan High School, the front gates closed and the windows dark. Minato, even with the forewarning by Tamamo, couldn't help but feel the same way as he stared at the school building.

He knew it would undergo some sort of transformation from what she told him, but how?

"This is it?" Junpei exclaimed by the gate. " _This_ is the place? Why _here_?"

Akihiko shushed him, pulling out his watch. "Just wait a few minutes… It's almost midnight."

Junpei quieted down, looking back to where Mitsuru and Yukari stood a small distance away, the latter looking ill at ease. Then, he looked to Minato, who could only offer a bewildered shrug in return.

And so they waited, Akihiko watching the digital numbers tick by with avid interest.

When midnight struck, as the world bled over to green, the five Gekkoukan High School students watched as their school shuddered and lifted, the buildings shifting together as they rose. Higher and higher it went, reaching to the sky beneath the eerie moon, before slowing. When it finally stopped, a series of echoing thumps reached them, like locks falling into place.

" _For all its eeriness,_ " Tamamo commented, " _Tartarus is rather beautiful._ "

"This is Tartarus—the labyrinth that reveals itself during the Dark Hour," Mitsuru revealed. There was something weary in her tone; a sort of resigned air that Minato could not quite understand.

"Labyrinth?" Junpei sputtered. "What are you talking about? What happened to our school!? Why'd it turn into a giant tower!?"

Mitsuru had no answer.

Junpei slumped. "You don't know, either?"

After a suspicious pause, Mitsuru shook her head. "No."

Yukari shifted and when Minato looked over, he found that she didn't look quite convinced by Mitsuru's lackluster answer either. "I'm sure it's complicated." The brunette shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "Who cares, anyway? It's not like it would change our minds about fighting."

"Well, maybe now we'll find out," Akihiko interjected reasonably. "Mitsuru and I have only gone in to take a peek; this will be our first time exploring it." He smirked. "Exciting, isn't it? There has to be some sort of clue in here about the Dark Hour, and we'll be the ones to find it."

Mitsuru recovered admirably at this, slanting a cool glance his way. "I respect your enthusiasm, Akihiko, but remember that you won't be joining in on much of the excitement. Backup _only_."

The gray-haired teen groaned. "I _know_. You don't have to remind me."

Mitsuru looked sorely tempted to roll her eyes, but she refrained somehow. Instead, she turned on her heel, walking down the now open pathway to the grand entrance. Yukari followed with a snickering Junpei. Minato trailed after them with Akihiko, who grumbled incoherently under his breath.

"What was that?" Mitsuru's voice trailed back to them from her place in front.

Akihiko straightened— _reflex?_ Minato wondered—and immediately set about looking innocent. "Nothing, Mitsuru."

The rest of the short walk to the main entrance was quiet, broken only by Junpei's awed exclamation when they crossed the threshold.

Mitsuru waited until Minato and Akihiko were through the open doorway before speaking. "This is only the entrance. The labyrinth lies beyond the doorway at the top of the stairs." She gestured to the grand staircase leading to another entrance at the top, just barely visible from their current position.

Akihiko nodded. "This trip is just to have you three get a feel for this place, so we won't be going very far. I'll basically just supervise this time and hang back for any fights that come up." He looked disappointed at that, for all that it had been set in stone before they arrived. "I'll only step in with my Persona if things get too hot for you guys to handle. Otherwise, it'll be up to you."

"As dangerous as it can be, this will be a good way to get you three accustomed to using the Evokers to summon your Personas in as safe an environment as we can get you," Mitsuru explained. "I admit that simply telling you to practice will not be the same as in actual battle… So Akihiko will be there as support should any difficulties arise."

Yukari looked down, looking notably flushed and ashamed. Even Junpei appeared discomfited, shifting and looking down at his Evoker where it was strapped in its holster.

Minato, thoughts full of Orpheus and Thanatos and _pain_ , felt like his was a particularly heavy weight.

Mitsuru dipped her head before going to stand by one side of the staircase. "I'll be providing audio backup from here." She glanced in Akihiko's direction. "Whenever you're ready."

Akihiko nodded before turning to the underclassmen. "I'll give you another minute to get yourselves together. Come to me when you're ready and we'll head out."

They agreed and almost immediately Yukari and Junpei moved off to a side, sharing a hushed conversation. Minato could catch snippets regarding Evokers and "Why'd it have to be guns?" He moved to join them, but a flash in the corner of his eyes stopped him short and he turned to find a blue door sitting innocently off to the side.

After a quick glance at the others, which told him that they took no notice of the door appearing, he approached it slowly, feeling a familiar weight settle in his pocket. He paused to fish it out, and an ornate silver key glinted up at him in the dim lighting.

Curiosity trickling through, he stepped forward, slipping the key in without fanfare.


	8. In Order to Survive

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : So, in this chapter we get to some battles (and I suck at writing battles so don't expect much, haha). When I think of Persona battles occurring in real-time, I imagine them going something like how they're portrayed in the _Persona 4_ animation. They remain summoned and battle alongside their human users rather than only appearing for skills. If they/their user sustain enough damage, they'll be dismissed. Otherwise, they can stay out unless their user dismisses them or falls unconscious. I'm also of the belief that Personas do have their own personalities (if their "dialogue" after being fused in the Velvet Room is any indication), though they mainly only speak to their user. Like a physical representation of a conscience.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Eight  
**

* * *

Minato didn't remember the door actually opening or even stepping into the room, but the next thing he knew he was there, seated across a table from Igor and Elizabeth.

"I've been waiting for you," was Igor's greeting. "It appears that the time has come for you to wield your power."

 _Officially,_ Minato added, rubbing his suddenly sweaty palms against the fabric of his pants.

"The tower you are about to venture into…" Igor began, mildly startling Minato even as his voice tapered off. Though he knew that the old man was keeping track of his progress from his earlier visits, he had not known how precisely he was watching. It was a little disturbing, to be honest.

If Igor had any inclination of what he was thinking, he didn't show it. "How did it come to be? For what purpose does it exist?" He waved a hand almost dismissively. "Regrettably, _you_ are not yet capable of answering these questions…" Wide, bloodshot eyes sought his, and his ever-present smile widened. "You have a source for such answers, certainly, and yet you do not request them of her. How very curious… and pleasing, if I may say so."

It was similar to the praise that Tamamo had given him before, but Minato felt a distinctly different air about Igor's. It worried him.

"Of course, I cannot stop you from asking and acquiring the answers from her if you wished—I will respect your decision no matter the route you choose, so long as you abide by the contract." Or, in plain speech, be prepared for any consequences the additional knowledge could bring, as Minato feared. "However, I do believe it is an important lesson that you are undergoing… To know when to stop simply _asking_ and when to start _seeking_ the answers out on your own."

Igor settled back in his seat, gaze never wavering from Minato's. "And in order to seek these answers, utilizing your power will be instrumental. For even beyond your companions, your power is unique. You see, it is like the number zero… empty, yet at the same time it holds infinite possibilities."

And thus he continued, informing Minato of something he had suspected since that full moon night—that he could summon multiple Personas. The conversation also told Minato that being able to do this was something only he possessed, while the others could rely on only one Persona.

The thought struck him as unfair. If they all had the potential, what was it about him that allowed this? Was it just the contract? It seemed like so much more, though…

"My spare time will soon be scarce, but please come again of your own accord," Igor requested. "As your partner will surely tell you should you inquire, I will be able to assume my true role then… and the manner in which I can best assist you." He bowed his head. "Until then… Farewell."

* * *

"Hey, Arisato!" Akihiko's voice rang out from behind him. "You ready?"

Minato blinked, then shook his head to rid it of the odd fogginess that accompanied exiting the room. He was still standing before the door, but the key was gone and it was closed. His hands were tucked in his pockets, looking for all the world like he had just been standing there the entire time.

" _To them, that's essentially how it is,_ " Tamamo provided. " _As Igor said a while ago, other people—those who have not signed a contract—can't access the Velvet Room. So they don't see the door._ "

 _Wait, so what happens when I go inside?_

Tamamo shrugged. " _As far as I can tell, the Velvet Room lies outside reality, so it's like when you dive into your head. Your body stays here while your mind is elsewhere._ "

… _so this whole time I've just been standing here looking like I'm staring into space?_ he asked, incredulous.

"… _pretty much._ "

He just barely limited his amusement at the idea to a snort, turning to join Yukari and Junpei where they were standing by Akihiko at the foot of the stairs. "Sorry. I… needed a moment to think."

They seemed to accept this easily and, after making sure they were sufficiently prepared, Akihiko started up the stairs with the trio following him. Once at the top, he didn't look back again before slipping through the passage. The three juniors looked at one another, wondering which order to go in.

"Uh… Ladies first, Yuka-tan," Junpei offered, gesturing awkwardly.

The brunette huffed, but obliged. Junpei sent an indecipherable look back at Minato and went in after her. Minato, wondering if he'd missed something, followed suit.

Once through, Minato noticed that the atmosphere seemed to immediately change. There was a certain restlessness in the air, and it was far too quiet to be natural. Just stepping into the hall, hearing their footsteps bounce along the walls, sounded disconcertingly loud in comparison.

"All right," Akihiko began once they were through. "Like Mitsuru said, we'll only be doing a run through of the first floor." He brought a hand up to where his transceiver was pinned. "Mitsuru, do you read?"

"Of course," Mitsuru's voice rang out through their communicators.

Junpei jumped. "Whoa… cool!"

"Her Persona's power helps her communicate with us like this even from the first floor," Akihiko explained.

"Indeed," Mitsuru's voice added, "If it were possible, I would join you as well. However, the structure of Tartarus changes from day to day, so outside support is imperative." There was a brief pause on the transceiver, though the sound of static told them that she was not through speaking. Eventually, she continued, "Now, based on your current location, you can expect to encounter enemies at any minute. I will inform you if I sense one nearby, but proceed with caution." A beat. "Akihiko—"

Akihiko sighed. "I know, Mitsuru. Backup _only_." There was a click. He turned to the three waiting for commands. "Now, we'll take this slow." He glanced between the three before gesturing to Minato. "Arisato, you take point for now. We'll see if we can find any Shadows and take things from there."

Minato blinked, but obliged, tightening his grip on the hilt of the sword he was given. As he passed the upperclassman and started their group forward, he couldn't help but think, _Why me?_

Tamamo hummed. " _Well, Yukari still seems to be shaky about Personas and Shadows in general, so she might freeze when confronted. Junpei likely hasn't even seen a Shadow before, so there's no telling if he'll react in time either. At the moment, you're the best bet since you've technically summoned your Persona to confront a Shadow._ "

 _Not with… that,_ Minato thought with a grimace, looking down at the Evoker at his hip.

" _True,_ " Tamamo agreed. " _But it's not like you need to summon your Persona right away. That's actually a bad idea normally, as prolonged usage will drain your stamina and spiritual energy. The lower floors aren't all that large, but later on you'll really need to pace yourself as you make your way up the tower._ "

Minato readjusted his grip on his sword. In that case, he would have to really work on fencing skills or even kendo or something…

Slowly, he led the group forward, a tense silence blanketing them as they moved. Even he felt tempted to say something to break it before either he or the other two could snap from the stress.

Fidgeting, he looked to Akihiko, who was walking somewhat behind them, looking enviably at ease despite their surroundings. "Sanada-senpai, if this is your first time in Tartarus, too, what do you normally do during the Dark Hour?"

"Me? Well, usually I go on patrols," Akihiko replied, looking surprised he'd even asked. "Shadows mostly stick around Tartarus, but there are a few that take to the streets. Mitsuru and I try to contain and eliminate the ones that do so they don't do any damage that'll end up on the news later."

Junpei whistled. "W—Wow, Senpai. That's pretty cool."

The senior shrugged. "It's something to do. It was just the… two of us before so we didn't have the manpower necessary to check out Tartarus. The chairman can be conscious during the Dark Hour, but he can't summon a Persona so we couldn't ask him to help. Besides, going after stray Shadows is good training when I can find some."

Minato nodded, trying to think of what else to say to keep the conversation going when he stopped short of turning the corner. There was something—

Not a moment later, Mitsuru's voice cut in from the transceiver, "Watch out. I detect a Shadow in front of you. Try to move in and strike before it can attack you!"

The others behind him readied their weapons. Akihiko pulled out his Evoker and nodded when Minato looked back to them.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Minato waited, listening as the Shadow moved. It was a strange, almost squishy sound, dragging its bulk this way and that while using its arms to pull itself. He waited until it sounded like it was moving away before stepping around the corner and dashing towards it.

The Shadow made a strange, gurgling sound as he swung his sword up, bringing it down on the Shadow's body. When the blade made contact, it sank in… but then the Shadow's skin seemed to inflate before bursting and forcing him back a few steps.

"Iori! Yukari!" he heard Akihiko call from somewhere behind. "The Shadows are forming; make sure to surround 'em! You can't let even one have a shot at your back!"

"Right!" Junpei agreed.

Yukari's voice was much less firm. "G—Got it!"

The Shadow split into two. The form didn't change much—they were both still pretty much blobs with arms—but these ones had masks.

Minato would bet anything that those masks were a weak point.

" _Only one way to find out!_ " Tamamo said, voice cheery. He felt his hands steady, anxiety lessening, and knew, somehow, that she was helping clear his mind. " _Don't worry, Minato. I've got your back—well, relatively speaking anyway._ "

In spite of the situation, he smiled. _I know. Thanks._

And then he ran forward, bracing his sword for another strike. These Shadows seemed slow, but he didn't want to give them a chance to attack anyway.

The less injuries they took, in his opinion, the greater the success of this little expedition.

* * *

Regardless of his somewhat distant and uncaring exterior, Minato was a bit of an optimist, Tamamo found. Had she not lived in his head for sixteen years, she would have found it strange. She supposed she had been used to the idea of this boy being as aloof as his appearance indicated, but watching him grow made all the difference.

He cared, in his own way. He didn't display it often, usually because he never had the chance to, but he did.

From within his mind, Tamamo watched as the fight drew on. As Minato suspected, the Shadows' masks were a vulnerable point—hitting it multiple times was enough to stun the Shadow temporarily. He was quick to relay this to his teammates as he struck the Shadow a final time, moving back to avoid the dark mist it turned into as it faded.

"Good, Arisato!" Akihiko's voice called as he provided his discovery. "Iori, Yukari, take the other enemy out!"

"Got it!"

Minato turned, allowing Tamamo to see that Junpei was keeping the Shadow focused on him while Yukari danced back, trying to keep at a sufficient distance for her arrows to stay effective.

Junpei slashed downwards, his first hit missing the mask but still striking the main body. With a small curse, he tried again and let out a whoop of triumph when it connected.

In the back, Yukari aimed and loosed an arrow. It lodged itself in the mask, piercing straight through, and the Shadow dispersed.

"Aw, no All-Out Attack," Tamamo mused.

 _What's that?_ Minato asked.

She shook her head even though he couldn't see it. "It's nothing. But you should do your best to try stunning your enemies by striking their weak points. It's like when you hit their masks. It leaves them vulnerable and open to more attacks, which you can use to your advantage."

There was a slight hum from Minato as he and the others regrouped around Akihiko. _Wouldn't it take too long to try to find their weaknesses, though?_

"If you do it the long way by testing every skill type," Tamamo agreed. "You might be able to ask Mitsuru if she can scan the target. It'll take a bit and she can't always analyze everything, but it could give you something to work with."

Now that she thought about it, this was the point where players went through a tutorial of how to fight in the game, wasn't it? But this was real life now. The battles weren't turn-based and no enemy, much less a Shadow, would wait patiently as Mitsuru or even Akihiko explained what to do step by step. As Mitsuru stated earlier, this was a test run, to wet their feet and get them accustomed to summoning their Personas in as stable an environment as they could get them.

It was still life-or-death combat should anything go wrong, but there _was_ a measure of control set in place. Even if Akihiko somehow couldn't contain a situation, they were only on the first floor so Mitsuru could feasibly rush in to help them as well without endangering them for lack of outside help.

Sighing, Tamamo did her best to recall what she could of the game's battle interface. Over years, the memories had steadily degraded. But if there was a chance that remembering something could help Minato and the rest of SEES succeed just that much more, it would be worth it to slog through it all and piece them back together.

* * *

"Well, for a first battle, that wasn't too bad," Akihiko praised. "Especially since you guys didn't use your Personas."

There was a pointedness to that statement that made the three of them look rather sheepishly at one another.

Akihiko gave them a sort of half-smile. "I'm not saying that's a bad thing, but there will come a time that you guys will need your Personas' strength."

"Akihiko's correct," spoke Mitsuru. "There are many different types of Shadows, all with their own vulnerabilities and resistances. While the mask seems to be a universal weakness, there are some that can protect it even from basic attacks by nullifying physical strikes, which would mean a Persona's elemental skills will need to be utilized."

"Damn…" Junpei muttered, rubbing the back of his neck. "Know we'll have to use 'em sooner or later, but…"

"I know what you mean," Yukari murmured. She looked rather bitter.

An awkward silence fell over the team then. Akihiko crossed his arms, looking as though he wanted to say something, but stopping just before it could make its way out. Minato didn't blame him. What could he say? How could you possibly tell someone that it was all right to use something that looked so much like a gun on themselves when everything about it seemed to spell their imminent demise?

They all knew it wouldn't harm them, but just the psychological hurdle of pressing the barrel against their heads was…

 _I don't want to die,_ Minato thought, just imagining the cool metal against his skin. He straightened. "Senpai."

Akihiko turned to him. "Hm?"

 _I don't want to die. But…_ He swallowed. "May I… May I try to lead again?"

A thin eyebrow rose. "That's fine with me," Akihiko said. He looked to the others. "What about you two?"

Yukari only nodded.

Junpei looked curious. "You got a plan?"

Minato hesitated, but nodded shortly. "Something like that." That was a lie. It was more like he was going to rush in and try it out, relying on his Other to catch him if he fell. Heart racing, he pulled out his Evoker, testing its weight in his free hand. He still gripped his sword in the other. When he was reasonably certain he wouldn't drop either, he looked up and affirmed he was ready.

When they nodded in turn, he set down the path again. _Tamamo._

" _Yes?_ "

He smiled wryly. _You've got my back, right?_

A familiar feeling of warmth, like morning sunlight, bloomed at the back of his mind. " _Always._ "

A strange sense told him that a Shadow was lurking in the dimly lit space ahead seconds before the transceiver beeped again. "There's another Shadow ahead of you. Remember to avoid letting the enemy get the first hit in. Strike first!"

Refusing to let himself hesitate, Minato ran forward. This Shadow was larger, and he could see small, glowing eyes on top of the mound of its body. He tightened his grip on his Evoker, not slowing even as the Shadow heard their footsteps and maneuvered its body around to meet them.

His heart pounded, blood rushing through his ears. _I don't want to die._

The Shadow swiped at him as he passed. _Pull the trigger._

He whirled around, placing the Shadow between himself and the others. _I don't want to die._

An arrow whizzed by and clattered off in the distance; Junpei's sword struck the Shadow's side, making it burst into three. _Pull the trigger._

Minato closed his eyes. Lifted the Evoker to his temple—and hesitated. _I don't want to die!_

A gasp.

"Arisato!"

"Dude, look out!"

Eyes snapping open, Minato found a Shadow flying towards him. _Just pull it!_

He pulled the trigger. His head jerked to the side, but rather than pain his head felt… lighter.

" _You're up, buddy!_ " Tamamo's voice rang out, sounding louder than usual, as Minato was bathed in the silver-blue light of the summoning.

Orpheus formed, drawing his lyre and blocking the Shadow's attack. With little effort, the Persona shoved the Shadow away, flying after it and bringing his lyre down forcefully on the Shadow's head. It survived, but drooped as it recovered.

Minato let out a breath as Orpheus returned to him, feeling a little winded. He looked up in wonder, meeting his Persona's mask-like face. _This is the power of a Persona, huh…?_

" _Yep. Your thoughts and emotions, given form,_ " Tamamo confirmed. She sounded proud. " _You're capable of more, but he is the one that answered your call first._ "

 _You mean your call,_ Minato reminded her.

" _Nuance._ "

Minato huffed out a laugh as the Shadow neared again, straightening and feeling Orpheus draw itself taller beside him. Feeling somewhat awkward—how did one address the personification of their psyche?—he nodded to the taller figure. "Let's go… Orpheus."

To his shock, Orpheus nodded. " **We shall.** "

"… _Oh, wow,_ " said Tamamo.

Minato would have replied, but he was forced to move away, evading a swipe of what looked like the Shadow's trailing veil. Orpheus evaded the other way, using the momentum to position himself behind the Shadow. When Minato slashed down, the Shadow evaded and he stumbled forward, but it landed in Orpheus's strike range, who finished it off with a brutal _thwack_ of his lyre.

"One enemy remains," Mitsuru's voice reported. "Don't get careless!"

Minato, feeling breathless, looked to where the others were and found Junpei backing away as another of the floating Shadows swerved towards him. He yelped as it struck out at him. "Iori!"

"Hang in there, Junpei!" Yukari called, notching an arrow and shooting. It missed by scant inches. "Shoot! No!"

"Dammit!" Junpei bodily shoved the Shadow away. "Fine! Let's do this…!"

He withdrew his Evoker and pushed it forcefully to his head. Clenching his eyes shut, he pulled the trigger and a helmeted black and gold figure appeared, posture widening and the wing-like attachments on its arms flaring. It drew back, then swooped forward, slicing through the Shadow and splitting it in half.

Akihiko stepped forward as the dark mist dissipated, hand still clenched around his Evoker. "All clear, Mitsuru?"

A sigh made the transceiver crackle. "Affirmative."

They regathered, silent. Orpheus and Junpei's Persona (" _Hermes,_ " Tamamo supplied helpfully) dismissed themselves in a flash of light.

"Well," Yukari huffed. " _That_ happened."

"It's good that you managed to summon your Personas, at least," Akihiko stated. "That could've gone a lot worse."

"That's not comforting in the least," Yukari muttered.

"Damn…" Junpei panted. He looked at Minato, who felt similarly out of breath. "That's one hell of a power, huh?"

"…Yeah," Minato said. His heart was still pounding, adrenaline yet to fade. "It's…"

… _kind of terrifying._

That power was born from _him_? His mind and soul?

All he had was a glimpse, but even just the small look he got into Orpheus's abilities was already inhuman. The power that had ebbed from Orpheus's body when he formed was… otherworldly. It didn't feel human, and yet it supposedly was, powered by his mind and soul, drawing from his own energy.

"Let's keep going, guys," Akihiko called as the two other boys regained their breath. When they looked up, he gestured around the corner, where a staircase sat, leading to the next floor. "The next time you guys come here, you'll be heading up, but for now we're just going to finish exploring this floor before heading back."

There was a murmur of acknowledgment before they moved on, slower this time. Minato wondered at the ache that developed in his muscles already—they didn't seem to do much despite the battles, but he was already feeling tired. Was that normal? Or was it from using his Persona? After all, the last time, he had been out for an entire _week_.

" _It's a combination of the Dark Hour side-effects and Persona usage,_ " Tamamo explained. " _When the Dark Hour starts, it's sort of like a different world from what I've seen. Though it supposedly only lasts for an hour, time and space are… distorted during it, stretching it beyond how long an hour is supposed to last. I think this space-time distortion has a negative effect on the human body, tiring it out more easily. Even more if you call upon your Persona, since it uses your own energy to fight as well._ "

 _A different world…_ Minato mused. _That's a pretty good description of it. Especially here in Tartarus._

"Hey, Senpai," Junpei was saying as Minato returned his attention to the real world, "how do you… y'know, get over it? Using the Evoker and all? Don't you think it's kinda freaky since it looks like a gun?"

"…They were made to look that way for a reason," Akihiko answered carefully. "Although, Mitsuru could explain it a lot better than I can. Mitsuru?"

The transceiver crackled. "According to research done in the past, the best stimulus for activating and later summoning a Persona is fear. The Kirijo Group manufactured multiple types of Evokers in different forms, but the shape that appeared to get the most responses was the gun shape they take now." She paused. "I believe the official note was that Personas manifested in an act of self-preservation… By appearing to shoot yourself in the head, a person's innate will to live would effectively draw their Persona out in an effort to combat the threat on their life."

"That's hardcore," Junpei mumbled.

"That's insane," Yukari corrected.

" _Whatever it is, it's messed up,_ " was Tamamo's dry input.

Minato could only wonder what sort of tests were run to discover all of that.

"As for how I 'get over it'," Akihiko said, talking over their interjections and Minato's internal musings, "I want to get stronger. Using the Evoker can be… disturbing, but in the end it's almost trivial compared to my goal."

Minato kept his head down, scuffing his foot as they walked. "In other words… we have to find our own reasons to fight. Something important enough that it makes pulling the trigger easier."

Something important enough to bet their lives on.

Junpei gave a low whistle. "That's deep…" But despite his almost joking words, a quick look at his classmate told Minato that he was thinking.

Yukari's side was suspiciously silent. When Minato glanced back, he saw a pensive look on her face, prompting him to turn forward again. She seemed to be taking their words to heart as well, and it wasn't any of his business to pry.

* * *

The remainder of their time in Tartarus passed by quickly and efficiently. Deciding to simply continue on as they have, Akihiko had Minato lead the rest of the way through the floor. Two Shadow fights ensued, during which Minato and Junpei utilized their Personas to handily defeat the enemies that spawned. Minato was also introduced to the spell "Agi", after spontaneously summoning Orpheus while wondering what other skills the Persona had than bashing enemies on their heads.

 _Fire,_ he thought blandly at the ensuing burst of flames. _That's almost ironic._

Unlike the other two, however, Yukari struggled to summon her own Persona, Io (as Tamamo provided). And it showed.

"Yukari, just—dammit!" Akihiko cursed as a Shadow moved dangerously close to the archer, effectively cornering her away from her teammates and making her long-range weapon useless.

The brunette in question was trembling, pale, and sweating. Her Evoker was pressed to her forehead, but her hands were too shaky to keep the device steady much less pull the trigger. Akihiko brought up his own Evoker and barely flinched as he shot himself, already commanding his Persona forward as it formed.

A flash of lightning—Zio—stopped the Shadow in its tracks long enough for the large Persona to close the distance and punch it away. Akihiko followed Polydeuces, standing behind it and in front of Yukari, wincing slightly as the sudden exertion aggravated his ribs.

"Pull yourself together, Yukari!" he ordered before shouting, "Hey! You two! A little help over here!"

"A little busy," Minato murmured as he dismissed Orpheus in favor of calling forth a new Persona—Apsaras. The blue, celestial dancer appeared with an elegant twirl, and with a gesture she sent a block of ice crashing upon their enemies' heads.

Junpei, on the other hand, was already moving. "On it, Senpai!" Hermes flew beside him, surging upwards and down, wings cleaving through the Cowardly Maya.

As Mitsuru's voice confirmed the area clear of enemies, the three teenaged boys gathered around Yukari, who hung her head in shame.

"I'm sorry," she bit out, clutching her bow. "I can do this. I _swear_. I just…"

She trailed off with a frustrated sigh and Minato furrowed his brow. After a moment of thought, he withdrew his Evoker and aimed.

Junpei choked. "The hell are you—"

"Takeba," Minato called, voice steady.

The brunette looked up and came face to face with the gleaming barrel of the gun-like device. Her breath hitched. Even in the poor lighting Minato saw the dilation of her pupils just before he pulled the trigger. Her head jerked back and she collapsed to her knees as she was surrounded in pale blue fog.

He lowered the Evoker, watching as a slim figure seated atop what looked to be a cow's head appeared behind her.

"What the hell was that for, you jerk!?" Yukari snapped, regaining her fiery temper even from her place on the ground. When his lip curled up, she scowled. "That's so not funny!"

"No, it isn't," he agreed. He nodded to her Persona. "But look."

Yukari seemed reluctant to turn her back on him, but she peered around only to still when her Persona came into view. "This is…"

"She's you," Minato provided as he relaxed his stance. He placed his Evoker back in its holster and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I can't pull the trigger easily on myself. Every time I lift it, I think, 'I don't want to die.' But I do want to survive… That helps me, at least."

Io faded and Yukari picked herself back up, still staring at the spot her Persona had occupied. When she looked back at the others, she took a deep breath. "You're still a jerk."

Minato shrugged. He'd been called worse.


	9. The Potential for Change

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : It occurs to me that I should warn you guys that this will be very canon-oriented—at least for a while (the Full Moon Operations, for instance, are a necessary evil). I do have some ideas in mind to twist a few things around, though. And a somewhat important hint/spoiler that I can give is to keep in mind these two tropes: _You Can't Fight Fate_ and _Screw Destiny_. Which one will win out, however, is to be determined.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Nine  
**

* * *

The rest of the preliminary run through Tartarus involved a little splitting up to search for the Access Point, which they took to return to the entrance. It was a bit strange utilizing the warp point, it felt a little like walking while fully submerged in water, but as it returned them safely Minato couldn't really complain.

Mitsuru greeted them as they appeared, congratulating them on a job well done. Which, Minato supposed, was rather true. Even his initial condition for a successful run was met, as other than a few scares and bumps and bruises, they were all relatively unscathed, if exhausted.

"That's the effect of the Dark Hour," Mitsuru informed them as they all reported their status. "You'll become fatigued more easily. Don't worry, though, you'll adapt." She sent them a slight smile. "There were a few… hurdles that you all had to overcome, but you got across them admirably. I imagine that you'll only get stronger from here."

"After this, I won't be able to join you guys until my injury heals," Akihiko added, "but I think you'll do okay."

And with that last boost of encouragement, the members of SEES agreed to head back to the dorm.

They were far from a truly cohesive unit at this point in time. But, at least, their first operation was a success.

* * *

Although she mostly expected Minato to fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow upon returning from Tartarus, Tamamo wasn't surprised when he dove into his mind instead, appearing before her with his usual unfailing accuracy. She paused in the midst of repairing her hand—she figured she would work on that first—and beckoned him over to her seat.

"I'm surprised you're still conscious," she said, carding her still intact hand through his hair as he leaned back. His body there may have been nothing more than a mental construct like her own, but he'd told her once that the action was comforting and that he could feel it, in an abstract way.

"I'm slipping off," he admitted. "But I wanted to talk to you before I forgot. I wanted to know what Igor meant earlier."

"About what?" she asked. She had heard many inquiries in Minato's mind during that last visit to the Velvet Room. She prepared answers according to what snippets she heard, but there was no telling which questions he wanted answered now and which he chose to find out later.

"About my ability," Minato clarified, "and why I can use multiple Personas when the others can't."

Tamamo hummed. "Well, I believe it's mostly that contract you signed that truly changed your potential to summon _a_ Persona into summoning _multiple_ Personas, but that's something even I'm not too sure about."

Had the protagonist of _Persona 4_ —one Seta Souji or Yu Narukami or other—signed a contract? She couldn't remember. She had barely played the game, tapering off midway before she even got the teen idol girl when she had jumped back to _Persona 3 FES_ and _Portable_. Then, college happened and she had no time for anything anymore.

"I think you had been chosen even before then, though," she continued eventually. Even before Aigis sealed Death inside of him. It was the only reason she could think of that allowed her soul to coexist alongside his, at any rate. "There are just some people bestowed the Wild Card while others are not."

"Wild Card?"

"Ah." She blinked. "Yeah, that's the term for it, I believe. It goes along with how Igor described it. The number zero. The Persona system is tied into the abstract, like the mind and concepts of fate. The tarot card system plays a big role with Personas. You were bestowed the arcana of The Fool, which, among the tarot cards, is the first, labeled zero." She smiled. "The ability of the Wild Card is just like in any card game: your influence can be unpredictable and uncertain. Which explains the need for the contract, I guess."

Empty, yet full of possibility. The need to take responsibility for one's actions was great indeed.

"…I'll have to look into tarot cards, then," Minato muttered.

Tamamo chuckled. "You should. It might give you clues on how to deal with certain people."

"So then what about Igor's 'true purpose' or whatever? He said you could explain that, too." He shot her a look that wasn't quite skeptical, but perhaps a little wondering. He'd given that look to her a lot in his childhood. It told her that he was trying to figure her out, only to come up short and not know why. It was amusing.

And a bit sad.

She shook her head. "Don't worry about that for now. Igor's probably still preparing, so it'd be best to just let him explain it when the Velvet Room is ready. I can clarify anything later if you still need it. For now, just focus on adjusting to being a part of SEES and balancing it with your school life."

Minato groaned. "School… That's right. I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow…" He rubbed his face as Tamamo laughed. "What is our life right now, even? It all got so complicated so quickly…"

"Yep," she agreed, feeling a little sorry since she had at least known the punches were coming whereas he didn't. Not for the first time, she found herself rethinking her decision to withhold certain information from him.

"Are you doing okay?" Minato asked, making her freeze a little in surprise.

Then, forcing herself to relax, she snorted. "I'm coping just fine. It's you that we need to be worried about, since you'll be doing all the fighting and grunt work." She poked his forehead. "Speaking of which, you just went through a whole bunch of fighting tonight. Go to sleep, Minato."

He grumbled a little, but didn't fight it even as his mental body began to fade, sinking deeper into his mind as it steadily shut down for the night.

Tamamo smiled and guided his consciousness along, the movements as familiar to her as breathing had been once upon a time. As he drifted off, she murmured, "I will do my best, though. To protect you, too, in the ways that I can."

"Symbiosis", he often called their relationship.

She knew better, but she couldn't help but hold up her end anyway. Even if all she could do right now was guard his mind as he slept or monitor his Social Links, she would gladly do so. And maybe, as his skill with Personas increased, she could learn a few new tricks, too.

There were infinite possibilities, after all.

* * *

Going to school the next morning was a chore, but somehow Minato managed to drag himself out of bed, get changed, and get on the monorail route to the campus before he could think to skip. He mildly suspected Tamamo had something to do with it, but the thought had barely crossed his mind when she told him that it was all his impressive willpower.

He cursed his willpower for depriving him of sleep. Especially during the morning assembly, where the teachers eyed them like hawks.

Beside him, Junpei let out a truly impressive yawn.

Minato nodded. "I know, right?"

A student behind him let out a warning shush—for what reason he had no clue, as the usual announcements were boring as hell. He heard Yukari sigh from her place in the row in front of them.

"Idiots," she muttered.

The highlight of the morning assembly came when Mitsuru was called up to give a speech in honor of her winning the election for Student Council President. Said election and voting period had apparently happened while Minato was asleep for a week, as Junpei informed him.

Yukari was less than impressed. "So. She did get elected. Well, I guess she _is_ the most popular girl in school."

Minato heard Tamamo make a catty _mreowr!_ and resisted the urge to laugh as Junpei replied, "You can say that again! There's, like, some kinda aura around her…" Then, after a pause of almost dreamy contemplation, he continued, "Besides, this school's owned by the Kirijo Group, right?"

Yukari gave a quiet huff. "Yeah, I try not to think about that…"

Before Minato could ponder about the ever-expanding ill feelings Yukari displayed regarding Mitsuru, his attention was brought to the stage as the red-haired senior began her speech.

"As I begin my term as Student Council President," Mitsuru began, voice firm and authoritative, "I'd like to share with you my vision for this coming year. It is my firm belief that each of us must accept the responsibility of bettering our school. However, change cannot occur without sustained effort and an unprecedented level of commitment. That is why we must restructure our daily lives to accommodate this lofty goal."

Tamamo gave a surprised hum as Mitsuru continued, imploring the student body to search within themselves for a level of commitment they probably weren't ready for.

 _What is it?_

" _No, it's…_ " Tamamo trailed off, tone thoughtful. " _I think we should just remember these words. Not just for the school year, but from today onwards, in regards to the world._ " In his mind's eye, he could imagine the wan smile that accompanied her next words, though whether that was just his imagination or a projection directly from her, he couldn't tell. " _They might give you hope in the coming months._ "

Her words were foreboding and cryptic—as they have steadily been becoming more and more of as of late—but, try as he might, Minato couldn't persuade her to say much more.

* * *

The days that followed blended together from Tamamo's point of view in Minato's head. It was a familiar routine that the two had gone through in his life, moving from place to place, relative to relative. The role of the "new kid" was not a foreign one and Minato spent much of his days acclimating to his new environment, observing student life and faculty schedules and habits. The only difference now was the fact that Minato had come to live in a dorm in Iwatodai of his own accord, so there was little threat of another spontaneous move snatching him away before he had a chance to settle down.

Well, that, and the fact that he was now involved in a rather dangerous "extracurricular activity".

Still, the members of SEES had all gathered around the next evening for a more in-depth discussion about their short foray into Tartarus. It was generally agreed that they would move however quickly they wished, taking the time to get used to fighting at night amidst school days and other daily excursions. Mitsuru would be off the field in order to give outside support via her Persona, and Akihiko wouldn't be joining them again until he was fully healed.

From there, the juniors were left to give approximations of their schedules, so they could plan as a group what nights would be best to go to Tartarus. Yukari's was the most stable, with Junpei's varying but mostly predictable. Minato's schedule was the only one left up to debate, given that he was new to the area and didn't have the time to establish any set routines. Thus, they ultimately decided to play it by ear, where Mitsuru would inform them all of what nights to stay at the dorm when it was convenient for all of them.

And, as Tamamo expected, both Mitsuru and Akihiko agreed to appoint Minato as the current field leader, given that he had done rather well in the position despite the few slip-ups that occurred.

There had actually been some debate about that, to her surprise. She wasn't surprised at all by Junpei's rather sore complaints, but rather than simply speaking over him or leaving it at their statement, both seniors had opened the floor for communication.

Minato had no real opinion and so opted to stay out of it, while Yukari had gracefully backed down, likely still embarrassed by her inability to summon her Persona on her own. Junpei only wished to know why Minato was chosen after only one trip, since they hadn't all had the chance to try to prove themselves.

Mitsuru admitted that _was_ a rather unfair reason on their part, but added that part of it was due to Minato's unique ability. "Being able to use multiple Personas puts him at an advantage… While we don't know the exact nature of this ability or its limitations, we can't deny that it's quite useful. Allowing Arisato to lead would ensure some level of reassurance, as he can change and adapt to just about any situation against the Shadows, which is invaluable at this point."

And thus, though Junpei grumbled a bit more, leadership was decided and plans to enter Tartarus once more were made, though the exact dates were pending. Until Mitsuru called them to gather at the dorm, they were mostly left to their own devices.

Minato spent his free time mostly exploring, generally alone but sometimes with others—namely Junpei or Yukari when their schedules allowed. It had been a bit stunning to see, if Tamamo were being honest, because during each initial outing, she watched as a new Social Link thread wove its way through Minato's mindscape. They were still thin and only faintly glowing, like the SEES Link had been not long before, but they were there.

But then again, she supposed, real life didn't work like a game. There was no limit to the amount of bonds one could make based on the arcana and stats like Charm or Intelligence or Courage had no bearing there.

When she got bored of watching Minato's life, Tamamo turned her focus to Minato's mindscape and fiddled around with things there.

Like his Personas.

As it turned out, those that were currently called forth by Minato were easier to reach from the surface of his mind. Tamamo could contact and pull them through, which she found to be something of a blessing. Even though she lost contact with the outside world while Minato slept, she was quickly gaining something of an awareness of it as his power grew. If her growth continued to mimic his, it was entirely possible that she could eventually assess the danger level around him even while unconscious and forcefully send his Personas out to protect him.

Of course, that was a work in progress. She had no honest clue of what the limitations of her growth would be in relation to Minato's, but she liked the idea of it. There was, no pun intended, potential there and it would be remiss of her to ignore it.

…Plus, being able to contact Minato's Personas gave her roommates, now.

Minato's amusement was almost tangible when she told him. _Roommates, huh?_

"Yep!" Tamamo chirped, cheery, as she spun around with Apsaras while Orpheus floated off to the side, playing a soundless tune on his lyre. "For manifestations of the psyche in the form of mythological people and creatures, they're pretty fun to hang out with."

She smiled when the blue dancer reached out and tapped her nose, taking that as a silent agreement.

Minato's mind hummed, still bright with laughter. _Glad that you're having fun, then.  
_

* * *

It was about a week after SEES's second jump into Tartarus, during which Minato reentered the Velvet Room and was taught about fusing Personas, that Tamamo truly realized what she could possibly do from Minato's mind.

She had always known that her presence changed some things. Even on a minute level. The fact that Minato was not quite the stoic badass that she felt was often portrayed in the game was one thing. She had unintentionally given him a companion throughout his life—a constant he could depend on, however unhealthily—and he had latched onto that. She gave him some form of attachment to life and so he feared death in the same way all humans did, if the way he thought twice about using the Evoker said anything.

But even though these changes were staring at her in the face, she could easily dismiss them. Because this Minato was an unknown. He was real whereas his game counterpart was not, with his own personality and past beyond a few bit pieces of information and dialogue choices. She knew him in a deeply personal way than just as a gaming avatar, and that made him appear as a completely different person.

When Minato was pulled along by his two classmates to the hospital to come face to face with Shinjiro Aragaki, however, Tamamo felt as though she had been plunged into a well of cold water. This was a man whose fate could change. Even within one game, with just a chance finding of an old watch, Shinjiro had gone from being outright killed to falling into a months-long coma.

If she gave Minato the right direction, could they save him completely?

"Hey, Orpheus," Tamamo began quietly, careful to not project the question out to Minato as he spoke with his dormmates in the hospital room. "If you had had the chance to go back in time to save Eurydice, knowing what you know now and what you knew then… do you think you could have saved her?"

It was a cruel question, and one that she was unsure if she should even be asking. As a Persona, would he remember the life he was said to have lived in the myth?

The Persona in question looked at her with his unblinking eyes. Then, " **I would like to think so.** " It was so interesting, hearing him or any Persona speak. His voice echoed in a haunting way. " **However, when I ventured into the underworld, I realize now that it was in spite of the gods and of fate. I fear what would have awaited her had I succeeded… what miserable death would have befallen her, befallen us, as punishment for defying their will.** "

"So you wouldn't have tried, knowing that?" she asked.

Orpheus turned away. " **I did not say that.** "

Distantly, Tamamo supposed there was a reason that Orpheus was a Persona of the Fool Arcana.

* * *

The Dark Hour, May 2nd, marked the second night since coming to Iwatodai (third, if one counted the encounter in the dorm lounge) that Minato was visited by the creepy, blue-eyed boy.

Said creepy boy sat on the edge of his bed near Minato's legs, peering at him with a small smile on his face. Minato kind of wished he wouldn't smile, as it seemed to lack emotion. But he couldn't tell which would be worse—a creepy emotionless boy or a creepy boy giving an emotionless smile—so he didn't say anything.

Belatedly, Minato realized that he seemed to be waiting for a response. But as his mind had yet to wake up, all he could manage was a flat, "…Hey."

This seemed to amuse the boy, for he chuckled. "It's been a while. Are you well?"

Minato pushed himself up to a sitting position, uncomfortable with lying down with the boy innocently leaning over him. "Can't complain, I guess."

"I see." The boy's smile widened, as if he knew something Minato didn't. "One week from now, there will be a full moon… Be careful. A new ordeal awaits you."

Ordeal…

That was how Igor had described that first disastrous night. And this boy's mention of the full moon reminded Minato of Tamamo's own warning—to protect himself every full moon night from that point on…

"You must prepare for the ordeal," the mysterious boy continued when Minato didn't reply, "but time is of the essence. I'm sure you're aware of that, of course."

The boy faded from view, his light weight disappearing only for him to reappear, standing, at the foot of Minato's bed.

"I'll come see you again when it's over. Goodbye for now…"

When he faded away once more, Minato stared, contemplative, at the empty space he'd occupied. With a blink, he dove into his mind, the curtain of Tamamo's yet-to-be-vanished private space rustling with his appearance.

"What do you think of him?" he asked in lieu of a greeting.

Tamamo looked up at him from her now usual seat. Her body was mostly restored, thankfully, save for her right eye which she still kept hidden under a patch. Sometime ago, she had changed her outfit to that of the female's Gekkoukan High School uniform, claiming that she felt left out of SEES in other attire, much to his amusement. "Him?"

He raised a brow at her obviously feigned innocence. "Yes, him. That boy. I would've thought you'd be the only person in my head, but there he is, competing for my attention. What do you think of him?"

His Other scoffed. "I don't have to _compete for your attention_." And wasn't that the truth. "And anyway, I don't have much of an opinion. His existence is… necessary."

Minato felt his other brow join the first. "'Necessary'? That's it?" When she shrugged, he decided to pursue another line of thought. It probably wouldn't lead to anything more fruitful, but he had to at least try asking. "Okay, then these ordeals he mentioned. You know something about _those_. The full moon is important, I know that. But why are they connected and why do we have to go through them?"

"…The moon is often an important symbol in mythology," Tamamo admitted after a moment of thought. It seemed like a non sequitur until she continued, "The moon is often depicted with a feminine presence in literature—the mother of the night and all that. Shadows probably react to it more when it's full because of that…"

"Probably?"

"I think so. Sorry, I'm actually just considering this myself." Her head tilted to the side. "It does make sense… but anyway, the truth behind these… 'Full Moon Ordeals' is one of the secrets I'm uncertain you would want to know ahead of time. The weight of the knowledge could be quite a heavy burden for you to carry outside."

Minato huffed, crossing over to flop onto her seat, ignoring her yelp as he slouched heavily on her legs. "Damn. I had a feeling it would be something like that." He glanced her way. "It's the kind that would be bad if I were to let it slip, wouldn't it?"

Tamamo nodded, looking apologetic.

Sighing loudly and exaggeratedly, Minato glared at the dark space above them, noting idly that the threads of his Social Links were woven elegantly along the top before hanging loose.

After a long silence, he finally said, "Give me several nights."

"Huh?"

"Give me several of these ordeals," he clarified, sitting back up. "I'll go through some of them and I'll ask again later if I still want to know. Tell me then, no matter what."

His Other looked surprised at the declaration, but nodded. "…Okay."

"Promise?"

That wrung a smile out of her. She dipped her head again, lower this time in more of a pseudo bow. "I promise."

Taking a deep breath, Minato nodded as well. "Okay."

He felt a little better. There was still so much he was learning and yet even more he seemed to have to know. It was getting a little overwhelming, if he were being honest, but there was a certain level of comfort he felt in knowing that he wasn't alone. Whether mentally, with Tamamo and her mysterious knowledge backing him, or physically, with SEES following his steps into the unknown monstrosity that was Tartarus.

It was… nice.

"Okay," he repeated, this time with feeling. "Goodnight, Tamamo."

"Goodnight, Minato."

* * *

After Minato left his mindscape and fell asleep, Tamamo stood and left her corner of his mind to approach Death's door. She stopped within a few feet, unwilling to get any closer, and simply stared at its black surface.

It was slightly ajar, always appearing more open than the last time she looked at it. She almost expected to see someone, something, looking back at her, but all that appeared in the small opening was darkness.

She had honestly been surprised that Minato went to her to learn about Pharos and the Full Moon Operations—though perhaps she shouldn't have been. He hadn't been very inquisitive as a child, merely going along with the flow, but the events that he lived through then were beyond his control. Right now, he had a right to learn more about what he was willingly getting into, so it was only natural he would go about gaining information in the ways that he could.

Perhaps she should tell him…

If she worded it right, then perhaps he would accept it. She could save him the shock and guilt and betrayal of Ikutsuki's manipulations, at least.

But what if he didn't accept it? Minato had listened to her so far, was willing to work with her, but who would listen to anyone telling them that ushering in the apocalypse was a necessary action? Or, at least, the action that at least had a chance of ending "happily".

Just about all of the events of _Persona 3_ connected together. The Kirijo Group brought forth Death by experimenting with countless Shadows. The incident ten years ago during said experiments tore Death apart and gave birth to the twelve Shadows. The defeat of the same twelve Shadows would complete Death once more and lead to the Appriser's rising. The Appriser called to Nyx. Nyx fell to the world.

And then Nyx would either be locked behind the Great Seal, barred from contact with Erebus, or the world would end.

If Minato rejected her words and blocked her out, warned the others and got rid of Ikutsuki somehow… What would happen? The Arcana Shadows wanted to be one. They had tried to _eat_ one another when they were first separated, she knew. If they got enraged somehow, impatient at SEES leaving them be after reawakening… would they eventually gather together and pursue him? Alone, they could be defeated by SEES after training and with month-long intervals in between. But together…

Tamamo sighed.

She could only give him time. The time he'd asked for. Then, if he asked again, or even if he didn't, she would tell him the truth behind the ordeals. She wasn't sure what would happen later in the year, if Ryoji would still appear, if Strega would interfere, and so on. But she would tell him what she could, to prepare him and the rest of SEES for the path ahead. Regardless of what course they chose to take.

Tamamo was snapped out of her thoughts when Minato's mind shifted around her. She made the motion of taking in a deep breath. It was useless since she didn't need to breathe, but the familiar action was comforting and soothed her nervous energy.

The fanfiction she'd read so long ago made it seem so easy to change fate. With a few words, the reincarnated protagonists could influence a character enough to give up going down a wrong path, or prevent another from dying. With their actions, they could stop a town from being leveled or change the course of history entirely.

Then again, those reincarnations were born with their own bodies. They were more than a soul, limited to influencing the mind of one person.

And that was the dilemma, wasn't it? In the end, she was just a soul. The scraps of what was left of her after dying, stuck in the mind of a possibly doomed boy. She had no body of her own and, though she was steadily working on what abilities she could uncover about herself in her situation, there was little she could do to influence the outside world. What little she _could_ do to help was limited to what she informed Minato about, and she couldn't even do _that_ properly because she was too damn terrified of what would happen if she made educated guesses about changing things and _she was wrong._

("Whatever you do, don't fail," her mother had warned her a lifetime ago, in the low, threatening tones that had Tamamo cringing reflexively. "Don't you _ever_ fail.")

Absently, Tamamo reached up to the bandage patch she'd conjured to cover her once damaged eye. She had restored it long before, shortly after her hand, but had kept it covered because looking at it unveiled something that, quite frankly, scared her. She removed the patch now, though, perhaps as penance for her inaction.

She was deliberately trying to lead Minato down a path to the end of the world. A fight that this incarnation of SEES might not win because, as she told herself time and again, video game mechanics were nothing like reality. She was no better than Ikutsuki at this point, really. The least she could do was own up and accept the consequences of her decisions.

Constructing a mirror, Tamamo traced the bright blue eye that now stared back at her. If she concentrated, a different color would mist over it, but if she blinked it would be gone. Try as she might, the blue didn't go away, clashing with the color of her left eye, which defaulted to red.

It was a perfect match to Pharos's eyes, she noted idly. Death must have been very fond of blue. Perhaps something it inherited from Minato?

The thought made her laugh, if only because she had no idea what else to do.

She'd lost parts of herself to Death and was given a mark in return.

She wondered what Minato would think, when he knew the truth.


	10. Monorail by Moonlight

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Later in this chapter, the idea of Shadows'/Personas' physical and elemental skills attacking the target's mind rather than the actual body is based on what I recall of Apathy Syndrome victims as well as from watching _Persona 4_ cutscenes regarding Shadow kills. There's no evidence left on the body, to the point that in the latter the police believe it's some unknown poison doing the work. So it occurred to me that while Shadows _can_ attack their targets physically, like with Akihiko and his broken ribs, they mainly target the mind. Which makes sense the more I think about it.

Also, creative liberties are taken regarding Personas again, this time on their state on the physical plane and ability to interact with their users. Because Persona-surfing should be a thing. Oh well. If _Persona 5_ allows Personas to cause Magical Girl—er, Thief transformations, then I can dream.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Ten  
**

* * *

As the next full moon night approached, Minato steadily prepared, gathering supplies and splurging on new equipment via the odd deals given by Officer Kurosawa. He had no idea how the man acquired such weapons and armor, but he wasn't about to ask when it was so useful. Especially since visits to Tartarus were a surprisingly lucrative endeavor, though he wasn't about to ask where the Shadows got all that money to drop anytime soon, either.

By the time May 9th rolled around, Minato heeded Tamamo's warnings to get plenty of rest the night before, staying up the next night to be ready for anything.

" _I don't remember how things should go,_ " she had admitted when he asked. " _It's a little fuzzy—I mean, I remember a train and definitely a strong Shadow, but… Well, I just know you'll inevitably be called out sometime during the Dark Hour… You could probably catch a few hours of sleep, maybe, but you might get a rude awakening…_ "

Minato declined. He knew himself well enough to know that he wasn't exactly a graceful riser. There was a chance that if he got too deep into slumber that he would just ignore any calls to action when they came. He liked his sleep, dammit.

(And okay, yeah, he could probably just ask Tamamo to help wake him. But he hadn't needed her to act as an additional alarm since he was around twelve and it was kind of embarrassing to consider needing her again, like he was still some kid. He relied on his Other for some things, but he still had his pride.)

So, just as before, Minato stayed awake in his room during the hours leading up to midnight, occupying himself with classwork or simply listening to music. When the Dark Hour hit, he sat at his desk and looked out the window, spotting the glow that Tartarus emitted and wondering what Shadows would run amok.

Not long after, he was jolted out of his musing by an alarm sounding throughout the dorm. With wary calm, he stood and left his room, heading down the hall and wincing when he heard Junpei fall out of bed with a _thud_ in his room.

A muffled "Ugh, what the hell?" followed, then the quick shuffling as the alarm continued blaring overhead. Minato, figuring his classmate was wide enough awake to handle himself, went up the stairs two at a time. He passed the girls' floor with hardly a glance and stopped short of the fourth floor and command room, waiting for his teammates to join him before he entered.

Belatedly, he wondered if they would be ready for this "ordeal". The last one had come with barely a warning, true, but would the days of preparation and training for this one be enough?

" _Don't think like that,_ " Tamamo chided. " _Just do what you can. The others will follow._ "

Her words were comforting, but he still had his doubts. Would they?

They'd managed to climb a good few floors in Tartarus, fighting what Minato soon labeled as "Guardians" and making it to a strange barricade that kept them from progressing further. They fought together well enough, still far from clockwork precision but infinitely better than their first visit, and each could summon their Personas to fight now.

But Minato would be the first to agree with Junpei that he wasn't exactly "leader material". He focused too much on his own actions, letting the others do as they pleased. When he gave a command, Mitsuru had had to relay it to the others more than once because he hadn't said it loud enough. Then, on the off-chance that he _was_ paying attention to their actions and bothered to raise his voice to give orders, they would ignore what he said for some reason or another and he wouldn't bother to reprimand them because he felt uncomfortable doing so to people his own age.

He'd asked Mitsuru, once, how she could take command of her peers so easily, but she didn't seem to understand. Though she monitored their progress and health through their runs, she didn't catch all that went on. She told him that he was doing fine and had even asked him to volunteer what time he could to the student council, to clean up odds and ends while she was busy with other projects because he "knew what it was like to be a leader".

Sighing, Minato asked, _How do you know that?_

" _Well… I guess that is a little oversimplified. You guys are just starting to work together so there'll be power plays and the like… And your power makes you stand out in all the good and bad ways._ "

"His power". He felt like he was hearing that more and more often lately. His power. A special power. A unique power. The Wild Card.

He should have never signed that stupid contract.

"Oh, there you are!" Yukari's voice called up to him from further down the stairs. She and Junpei quickly climbed up to his step. "C'mon, it must be urgent. They don't use that alarm often."

With barely a nod, Minato joined them in racing up the last few steps, barging into the command room where Mitsuru and Akihiko waited.

They were debriefed on the situation by Mitsuru, who was quick to emphasize the possibility of a powerful Shadow waiting for them. She also warned them of the need for discretion.

"Most people don't know the Dark Hour exists, but if half the city is destroyed, there will be panic." It said something about Mitsuru that she could talk about the hypothetical mass hysteria of a public in such a calm way. "That must be avoided at all costs."

Junpei jumped onto that thought, looking eager. "In other words, we need to kick some ass, right?" And Minato could only hope things would be that simple. "Well, count me in!"

Yukari gave a put-upon sigh. She sounded a little like Tamamo in that instance, only less fond. "Junpei…"

Mitsuru took that time to ban Akihiko from joining them, much to the boxer's chagrin. Then, Akihiko appointed Minato as leader for this operation as well, which Mitsuru easily agreed with.

Goddammit.

"Wait for me in front of the station," Mitsuru instructed once the bickering and decision-making was over with. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

When Mitsuru arrived on her fancy Dark Hour-proof motorcycle, she promptly informed the three field operatives that their target was located inside a currently dormant monorail. Junpei was notably ill-at-ease at the idea, to which she assured them that electronics, save for some specially-built devices like her bike, were inoperable during the Dark Hour. So, ostensibly, they had no reason to fear being run over by a monorail (unless they took too long and the Dark Hour ended, but that was another worry entirely).

Minato immediately got a Bad Feeling—capital letters and all.

" _Ah, so I've finally infected you with my paranoia,_ " was Tamamo's dry comment in response to his alarm. " _It only took ten years._ "

 _Any hope that we can lure the Shadow off the train?_

" _I…_ " His Other paused. " _It's possible? If I recall correctly, it's rooted deep in there, but given the incentive, it might go to you._ " She sounded doubtful. " _I don't know_ how _, though. The tracks are suspended high above ground and it'd be more dangerous to run on top of the monorail cars than inside them. Unless you've got another idea?_ "

Minato's mind whirred. He could feel Tamamo's incredulous and astonishment even before he answered, _Kind of a crazy one, but yeah. A little bit._

* * *

"Hey, Iori," Minato called in a hushed tone as the three walked along the path towards the still monorail.

Junpei made a grunting sound instead of turning around. "What's up?"

"…What do you think about the idea of Persona-surfing?"

Junpei's head snapped towards him then, clearly intrigued. Even Yukari seemed to catch his words from her place in front, looking partly curious and mostly mortified at the possible answer.

A beat later, Junpei said, "I'm listening…"

Both boys ignored Yukari's groan.

* * *

Minato finished explaining by the time they neared the monorail, and the train car loomed over them from their spot on the tracks.

"Can you all hear me?" Mitsuru's voice sounded from the transceiver.

Yukari answered, "Yes, we can." She peered up at the stopped monorail. "We just got here, but I don't see anything out of the ordinary…"

"The readings are definitely coming from that monorail. Proceed with caution, and stay together."

The three shared a look; Yukari's was infinitely more wary than the other two. "Um…"

"What's wrong?"

"Well," Junpei began, "we've kinda got a plan we'd like to try, Senpai."

"A plan?" Mitsuru repeated. A long silence followed. Eventually, she spoke, "Arisato, you're in charge over there. If that's your decision, then…" The transceiver filled with static with her sigh. "Be careful, you three."

Minato didn't let his eyes stray from Junpei, who had averted his eyes, jaw clenched, the moment Mitsuru mentioned Minato's role as leader. Speaking slowly, carefully, he said, "Junpei. You're up."

"Is this really such a good idea?" Yukari asked. "I mean, if there's a Shadow in there, then shouldn't we head in to stop it from preying on any transmogrified people?"

"If there's one thing I've noticed about Shadows," Minato replied, "it's that they don't seem to like Persona-users. They're drawn to us to try to feed off of us… I don't know how they get people out of their coffins, but I can imagine we'd seem like easier prey." He ignored her wince, shrugging. "Besides, train interiors are small. We'll have less of a chance to hit any innocents if we lure the Shadows out."

"I—I see." The pallor on the brunette's face told him that she did. "…Great. Okay. Let's do this."

Junpei, who appeared to cool down a bit, lifted his Evoker to his head. A gunshot later, Hermes appeared, allowing Junpei on its back. Its wing-like appendages flared when he was situated, clinging somewhat awkwardly to his Persona.

"Stay above the monorail," Minato said. "See if you can draw any Shadows out. Yukari and I will support from the next track over."

"Got it," Junpei agreed. He yelped when Hermes suddenly pushed off, reacting to his will, slowly at first before picking up speed as they ascended.

Minato lifted his own Evoker up to his temple. Another gunshot and pale blue fog dissipated to reveal the regal figure of a mythical unicorn, who stomped once on the ground, awaiting orders. He looked to Yukari, gesturing to the mystic beast with a tilt of his head.

"…Do you even know how to ride a horse?" she asked skeptically.

"No," he said. "But this is a unicorn."

The brunette's eyebrow rose. "What's the difference?"

Minato could practically feel the expression on his face become even flatter.

"…Catch up with Io," he said, climbing onto Unicorn's back. As they trotted away (because he would at least heed Mitsuru's advice to stick together somewhat), the sound of Yukari hurriedly summoning her Persona following them, Minato patted the Persona's neck in silent apology. "'What's the difference', she asks. Geez…"

" _You get offended by the weirdest things sometimes,_ " Tamamo observed.

Minato studiously ignored his Other.

* * *

Holy _shit_ this was awesome.

The take-off was shaky, but once they hit their groove in the air, Junpei couldn't help the wild grin that took over his face. "Persona-surfing", Minato called it. Fucking awesome was what it was!

Adjusting himself on Hermes's back, Junpei readied his sword. He'd only fought with Hermes in the Tartarus runs they'd done before, but he already instinctively trusted his Persona to watch his back. It was a part of him, shared his strength and lent its own in return. It wouldn't let him fall, so he felt comfortable zooming through the air above the monorail, waiting for the stupid Shadows to take the bait.

That was his role in this harebrained scheme, but he couldn't help but feel giddy. It rested on his shoulders to pull it off right and dammit, he was going to show them that he could be just as dependable as Minato! Sure, he didn't have the _privilege_ of summoning multiple Personas (and what a cop-out that was!), but he was going to show them that he could be just as useful.

Hermes shot him a warning and he glanced back over his shoulders, grin turning vicious when he saw the Shadows leaving the monorail car below them. "C'mon, suckers!" he goaded. "We'll show you not to mess with us!"

With a thought that Junpei wasn't sure if it came from him or Hermes, they banked through the air and zoomed back to the Shadows, slicing whatever they could reach with sword and wing. Instinctively, Junpei tightened his hold, leaning in as Hermes dove and spiraled, bisecting a table-looking Shadow. The pieces fell to the monorail below and Junpei whooped as he and Hermes straightened out in flight.

Adrenaline high, he watched eagerly as more Shadows were drawn out, ready to take them all on.

* * *

As Minato and Yukari followed the adjacent set of tracks, Junpei and Hermes wove their way above the train and set the plan into motion. True to Minato's words, the Shadows were attracted to their signs of life, drifting out of the monorail and zooming after the flying duo.

As they moved, Yukari huddled closer to her Persona for stability as she eyed the monorail, bow and arrow drawn. Specifically, her eyes appeared to be locked onto the various doors, where the Shadows slipped out from. "Wait a second… it's not at a station, but the doors are wide open…"

Minato glanced her way from Unicorn's back, following her gaze to the still train. "How much do you want to bet they wouldn't have stayed open if we got in there?"

The brunette scowled. "I'm not even gonna try." A moment later, her expression smoothed over into something worried. "It really would've trapped us, wouldn't it?"

Minato didn't reply, instead returning his attention to the course ahead and commanding Unicorn on its arsenal of elemental spells.

Junpei adjusted rather quickly to flying with his Persona, whooping as they tore through the air, slicing and dicing through the Muttering Tiaras and the odd Laughing Table that pursued them. Every so often Yukari's arrow or a spell from Minato would stop one from getting close while he cleaved through the rest.

It was as they were nearing the front car that Minato called for Junpei to regroup with them—and Junpei refused.

"Don't worry!" the baseball-capped teen shouted. "I got this!"

"Iori, be careful!" came Mitsuru's warning from the transceiver as Junpei and Hermes soared closer. "I sense a strong presence in the front car!"

"Junpei!" Yukari yelled. "This isn't a game! Stop that alrea—JUNPEI!"

Without warning, something shot out from one of the open car doors in Junpei's direction. It had come so suddenly that both he and his Persona had no time to dodge. Junpei let out a strangled yell as Hermes was knocked back, whirling out of the air and nearly hitting the monorail's roof before reorienting itself.

"Junpei, get over here," Minato called again, not taking his eyes off the front car. If he focused enough, he could just barely make out movement from inside under the light of the engorged full moon. "We need to give it a clear target."

Junpei gave a shaky and incoherent reply, but it was a clear agreement from the way he directed Hermes over to the tracks where Minato and Yukari were. Yukari sent him a scolding look as he neared, but dutifully checked him over for injuries her Persona could heal.

In the back of his mind, Minato swore he heard the rattling of chains.

" _It's coming,_ " was Tamamo's warning just moments before a large, literally black and white female figure squeezed and crawled through the door nearest them. The passage was clearly much smaller than the Shadow, but it seemed to have no problem fitting itself through, its skin bending and flexing in morbid ways, like rubber.

The Shadow's torso was naked, save for the letters "B" and "J" imprinted on the skin of its breasts, while the lower half was covered by a single sheet. Its hair looked reminiscent of scrolls, thick and flat, but the way they spread behind the main body to the monorail made them look more like the cable wires. They trailed behind the Shadow as it moved closer, pulling taut as they seemed to refuse to leave the car.

The Shadow slumped as it settled across from them, but Minato had an eerie feeling that from behind its mask it was looking at him. He jumped when it chattered at them and had to suppress a disturbed shudder when it laughed.

"Dude," Junpei breathed. "That's so freaky."

With a flourish of its hand, the Shadow sent a wave of ice after them, forcing them to dodge. In the next instant, two Muttering Tiaras fluttered to its side.

" _Ignore the minions,_ " Tamamo advised. " _Taking down the main host will stop them, too._ "

Minato relayed this to the others as he jumped off Unicorn's back, earning a sound of confirmation from both. "Kirijo-senpai, can you scan the enemy?"

"I'll do what I can," Mitsuru affirmed. "And be careful, you three! Take care to watch your surroundings; you can easily be knocked over the rails if you're caught unaware!"

"Oh, like we didn't have enough to worry about!" Yukari cried.

From that first attack, it appeared that the Shadow worked with Bufu-type spells, but Minato wouldn't discount it being capable of more. Its hair was certainly a force to be reckoned with as well, the free pieces moved autonomously and were apparently capable of stretching farther, judging by that first attack on Junpei. Fighting from a range would give them no advantage.

"Hey, Arisato!" Junpei shouted. When Minato looked, he saw his teammate on the ground now, though Hermes was still present beside him. "Check those out! I think it's still connected to the train; should we try to cut 'em?"

" _Trust a gamer to notice a detail like that,_ " Tamamo mused. " _It can't hurt._ "

"Do it," Minato called.

With a determined yell from Junpei, Hermes spun through the air and towards the appendages. The tearing sound that accompanied the attack was enough to make Minato cringe, but the shriek that the Shadow gave out in return told him that they did something right.

"Whoa, shit!" Junpei cursed as he dodged another swipe from the enraged Shadow, having earned its ire with his actions. Despite the attention, a smirk stole its way across his face. "Did I make ya mad, ugly? Well, too bad!"

He punctuated his exclamation by swinging his sword at another oncoming attack, batting it away like a true sportsman.

"Ice, light, and dark moves will be ineffective," Mitsuru reported dutifully only moments later. "Unfortunately, I couldn't glean much more information than that."

It wasn't much, but…

"That's enough," Minato murmured, absently reaching within himself and the Personas he carried. Unicorn was adequate for blocking Bufu spells, but it was more healing-oriented, with magic spells he added through Igor's fusion services. To deliver a heavier hit, he would have to use…

With a fancy twirl of his Evoker that had his Other sighing in exasperation, Minato summoned a quickly growing favorite of his: "Jack Frost!"

A diminutive and round snowman-like figure sprung into existence, bouncing forth from the blue mist that brought it to reality. With a cartoonish fierce gleam in its eyes, it zoomed after the effeminate Shadow and wound back its fist, letting it fly forth to sock the Shadow in its torso.

The Shadow gave an agonized cry before lifting a hand and flicking its wrist in Minato's direction in retaliation. There was no other physical movement to accompany it, but he still felt the attack land, striking his shoulder and making him stumble back several steps.

Tamamo cried out in pain. The sound was so foreign that it took him a moment to identify it.

 _What happened!?_ Minato regained his lost ground, eyeing the railing he was trying to avoid as Jack Frost caught the Shadow's attention. He felt more than saw as a gentle light bathed over him, soothing the sharp sting that had been left by the Shadow's attack, and gave an absent nod in thanks towards Yukari.

" _I actually felt that,_ " Tamamo said, stunned. " _You haven't been targeted by a physical skill by a Shadow so far, so I hadn't expected that, but…_ " She gave a tinny, almost hysterical, laugh. " _I guess this is how you guys survive things like Cleave. I mean I knew the elemental spells didn't leave marks on your bodies after you took that Agi to the face once, but to think Shadows really do attack your minds like this…!_ "

She was babbling, words coming out faster the longer she went on. While normally Minato could ignore it, could think of it as background noise to fill the silence when headphones weren't allowed, her emotions were rising with her voice and mingling with his own.

 _Tamamo!_

The sudden snap of his voice seemed to shock her into silence. Good.

 _Calm down. I get it. Shadows affect the mind in more than one way._ He tried to focus on keeping his thoughts calm and reassuring. _I'll do my best out here, but I think you know my head even better than I do, so…_

His attempt at levity seemed to work as he felt her panic subside.

" _R—Right. Sorry. I… I was just surprised. I've felt pain again before, but…_ "

Whatever she would have said after was lost as he dodged another strike, watching the Shadow's hands and other body language carefully to move out of the way when it was directed at him. Jack Frost delivered another punch before hopping away as the Shadow slumped further.

Minato's heart jumped. That was a good sign, wasn't it? They were close to beating it!

Confident, he dismissed Jack Frost as a tendril of the Shadow's hair struck at it, stepping to the side as his Persona disappeared and the attack shot past him. A Garu spell from Yukari brought the Shadow's attention to her, leaving it wide open on the side that Minato knew Junpei was on.

"Iori!" he called, forcing his voice as loud as it could go (which wasn't all that loud, considering, but it got the job done). "Finish it!"

Hermes rose up, swirling in the air as it ascended, then dropped, letting gravity do the work to add the force to its attack.

In the moment Junpei's Persona made contact, slicing down through the Shadow's shoulder, Tamamo shouted, " _Look out!_ "

Minato lifted his short sword on instinct. The piece of the Shadow's hair that had attacked him earlier (that he ignored the moment it missed, stupid, stupid…!) hit the blade with surprising force, a final desperate attack even as the Shadow shrieked and dissolved into black mist. Though he managed to parry the blow, the sheer amount of power behind it shoved him back despite his attempts to hold his ground.

His side hit the railing hard and, before he could even think to grab it, the momentum dragged him over.

His eyes widened as his world was suddenly flung upside-down.

"Oh, shit!"

"Minato-kun!"

Junpei and Yukari's voices cried out, mingling in the night air as he fell.

Strangely, all Minato could think at that moment was how Yukari's voice sounded exactly like Tamamo's had on the day his parents died. It brought back unpleasant memories, that frightful shout, all jumbled and flashing through his head in the space of a moment.

His parents' burning car. The blood on his hands. The terrifying roar and screech of metal as it was crushed. A flash of gold; the spark of the fire? And then—Tamamo's voice again. An apology?

A figure shot out over the railing and for one wild moment Minato thought one of his teammates had jumped. But the figure soared after him with more grace than a human body possessed in freefall, all burnished gold and black, and snatched him none-too-gently from the air. He let out a choked sound, the breath knocked out of him at the abrupt action, and he struggled to regain it as they flew back up to the tracks.

Hermes set him down, and Minato felt his legs give out on him, bringing him to the ground. As he tried to breathe, Minato realized that his entire body was trembling. Distantly, he noted that Tamamo was in no better a state. Her presence in his mind felt numb.

"Minato-kun!" Yukari exclaimed as she and Junpei ran up. Without hesitation, she pulled out her Evoker and summoned Io, letting her Persona immerse him in the light of Dia. It soothed away the worst of his violent shaking until only a minor tremor fluttered through his hands.

For a long moment, the trio only stared at one another, equally shocked and speechless by what transpired.

Then, Yukari took a deep breath and released it in a large gust. "Geez, what the heck was that for!? Scaring us like that! Pay more attention to your surroundings next time!"

Her voice seemed to jump-start them all and Minato dazedly put his composure back together. If his breathing shook as much as his limbs did, neither of his classmates mentioned it. Not trusting himself to stand just yet to put them on equal footing, he bowed his head low from his spot on the ground to Junpei, who started at the acknowledgment.

"Thanks," Minato said, voice hoarse. He cleared his throat. "For the save."

Junpei rubbed the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "H—Hey, it's no problem. I was just moving on my own, y'know… 'sides, it's the least I could do since you're our leader and all…"

"Not to mention making up for when you ignored orders earlier," Yukari piped up, sufficiently calmed enough to resume her usual snark.

"Aw hey, Yuka-tan…!"

"For what it's worth, I think you've more than made up for that," Minato said quietly, earning the attention of his teammates. "You pulled off that plan pretty much on your own… And I might've been designated field leader, but without you two, I definitely wouldn't have gotten anywhere. Special power or not."

After all, that unique power may have potentially given him the ability to be a one-man army, but said army could not exist without the bonds of the people around him. The stronger his bonds with others, the stronger his ability grew, wasn't it?

The transceiver beeped. "I'm glad you're all safe," Mitsuru said and, for once, her normally steady and confident voice was steeped in emotion. Relief. "I don't sense any Shadows lingering in your vicinity. Head on back… You've earned a good rest tonight."

They gave confirmation that they heard before staying still a moment longer. Then, Junpei stepped forward, holding out a hand to Minato. "C'mon, dude. I dunno about you, but I'm ready to just knock out."

Minato grasped the other teen's hand, letting himself be pulled to his feet. He nearly stumbled as he rose, but he was kept carefully upright and given time to adjust his footing. It was only when he was sure he could stand on his own without faltering that he let go, tucking his hands into his pockets.

As the three walked back down the monorail's tracks, Junpei spoke up again. "And you can call me Junpei, y'know. Going by Iori just kinda reminds me of my old man…"

Minato eyed him curiously as they walked, catching the faintly bitter undertone to his words. He didn't say anything, however, simply nodding. "Minato, then."

"Oh! Then you can call me Yukari," was said brunette's input. "I'm not really one for the whole 'last name politeness' stage."

He chuckled. "I've noticed. But all right, Junpei. Yukari." And because the memory was too much to resist, he added, "Nice to meet you."

It earned him a pair of perplexed looks, but he merely waved off any attempts of questioning on their parts as they made their way back to the station.

He'd had a close call, and yet he felt strangely lighter.


	11. Whispers in the Halls

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : It's really weird writing such a passive protagonist. Even though he's your typical "insert your own personality" hero in the game, I wanted to keep that sort of "meh" vibe you get from the in-game narration at times. Those parts where it makes rather insightful discoveries only to shrug it off and say that "you decided to go back to the dorm". I found those parts hilarious while playing because it's like, "DUDE, MINATO", but translating it into story narration is just… strange. Frustrating, even, but I guess that's where his trademark phrase "I don't care" comes into play, haha.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Eleven  
**

* * *

That was too close.

Minato was diverging from the way Tamamo knew the events ran, and so far he had been put in direct danger both times. While she certainly could not argue with the way he did things, she felt no end of guilt for whatever happened. Since she had known that things worked out in the end, why hadn't she argued that he go on the monorail anyway? The idea of being on a runaway train was terrifying, but compared to falling off the tracks where he possibly couldn't have been saved had it not been for Junpei's quick thinking… wasn't that the "lesser evil", as it were?

He was becoming more proactive, Tamamo realized. The nights spent in Tartarus, leading the squad on the field, was affecting him more than he thought. He was still rather passive in most other endeavors, simply going along with everyone else's flow when it came to school activities or hanging out, but during the Dark Hour he was steadily stepping into the shoes of a true leader. He no longer treaded quietly down Tartarus's halls, waiting around corners for Shadows to turn their backs. He ran at them, weapon ready and Evoker in easy reach.

If he kept up this trend for the next full moon, which was… was…

Tamamo shifted uneasily.

It was hard to admit, but she couldn't remember a lot of things from the early to middle stages of the game. When she had played, it had all blurred together in the middle of planning Social Links and rushing through content to get her full end-game team together. She knew Fuuka had to be joining soon, which she vaguely recalled involving two Shadows and a stakeout of some sort, but…

…But was that the next event? Or was it some other Arcana fight she couldn't remember? She tended to remember the Full Moon Operations that gave her new party members or involved particularly significant confrontations (such as the infamous October 4th operation), but not the exact order they came in. Everything else joined the rest of her blurry memories.

Frustration warred with a familiar feeling of helplessness. The only thing she had that could help Minato was her knowledge. If she didn't have even _that_ , and had to hide other information besides, then what good was she?

" **You must wait,** " Orpheus advised when she complained aloud to him in a bout of self-pity. Despite Minato steadily moving on to fusing other Personas to use in battle, he seemed to make a point to always keep Orpheus around, made easier now that he had access to the Compendium. Tamamo was grateful. None of the Personas spoke often (or even at all), but Orpheus seemed to be the most willing to chat with her at any time. " **Just as we do. If he requires your aid, then he will call.** "

"Personas are very trusting of their 'Others', aren't they?" Tamamo murmured, partly admirable and partly guilty. Was she not trusting Minato to take care of things enough? She was an actual separate living soul rather than a facet of his, but she _had_ lived in his head for more than a decade…

" **Of course,** " Orpheus replied. " **'Thou art I, and I am thou'. Those are words not spoken lightly… For those that try to repress themselves or are unprepared, it is difficult. But for those who can see their true selves and accept what they find… we do our utmost to lend our power.** "

In the end, she supposed, the Persona was telling her she could only wait for his signal. She didn't have the same type of power they had to help Minato on his journey, but she'd be damned if she couldn't find some other way. Despite her limitations.

"Nothing to it, then," she muttered, shrugging. She lifted her hands, palms faced outward to the Persona floating before her. "Try again?"

" **Certainly.** " Orpheus obligingly held out his own white-gloved hands.

The Persona was much taller than her so she had to extend her arms a bit to get her hands properly parallel, but they managed. With a little concentration, a small light sparked, ghostly blue in color. It was a little too chaotic to be a flame, more like condensed lightning-in-a-ball, but it looked a little like _kitsunebi_ , or foxfire, to her. How ironic.

She wasn't confident to pull anything off on her own just yet, but using Minato's Personas as a sort of conduit seemed to work. Truly, the power of the mind and soul in the _Persona_ universe was strong indeed. If she could continue on like this, working on her growth alongside Minato's, would she be able to affect the outside world like his Personas, even a little bit?

(Once, she thought she heard Pharos's giggle echo throughout the mindscape, but she forced the idea away. She didn't know what the amnesiac avatar of Death was looking for in her, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to.)

* * *

It was about two weeks later, including one grueling week of midterm exams, when Akihiko finally returned from the hospital to announce that he was officially pronounced healed from his injuries. Minato had joined the others at the dorm lounge after school ended, exhausted from the week of studying and test-taking, just in time to hear the news.

"That's great!" Yukari exclaimed.

Even Junpei looked genuinely glad. "Congrats, man!"

Akihiko leaned back in his seat, looking pleased. "Just in time, too." When a round of confused and curious looks met him, he elaborated, "Mitsuru and I have been doing a little research on the chairman's request. We think we've found another Persona-user."

The trio perked up at that. Minato even straightened from his usual slouch.

"We did!? Sweet!" Junpei crowed. "Is it a girl?"

Yukari rolled her eyes, but Akihiko nodded. "Actually, it is. She's a junior who goes to our school: Fuuka Yamagishi. Do you guys know her?"

"Yamagishi?" Yukari repeated, sounding thoughtful. "Oh, that girl in 2-E! She gets sick a lot from what I heard…" She frowned. "I don't see her at school very often."

The upperclassman gave an understanding hum. "She was at the same hospital as me. That's how we found out about her." He sighed, sounding put-out. "Maybe she's not cut out for battle. I had an Evoker made for her, too…"

As the conversation continued, devolving into the usual bickering between Yukari and Junpei, Minato had the strangest feeling that he should keep the girl's name in mind anyway. There was no telling what they'd all get up to in the following weeks before the next ordeal, but if the last two had any indication, it would be a doozy. Any ally they could make would be a strong asset to have at that point…

* * *

Seeing Akihiko in action was both humbling and inspiring, Minato found.

At the older boy's request, Minato left a memo for the members of SEES to gather at the school dorm on a later evening to head into Tartarus. While waiting, Akihiko filled Minato in on his capabilities, as well as his Persona's. The others seemed a bit surprised that he wouldn't be taking over leadership, but understood when Akihiko had explained that he wanted to focus on regaining his strength after a month of inactivity.

"Besides, you guys are used to this dynamic," the boxer mentioned. "There's no reason to fix what isn't broken, right?"

Yukari had agreed easily, glad to not have to adjust to another person's pace again. Junpei's brow furrowed and he seemed to have to refrain from saying anything, but he, too, agreed without protest.

So, SEES went to Tartarus and warped to their current floor of exploration. Seeing Akihiko don his gloves and take up a fighting stance was strangely intimidating, especially given his ease at roaming Tartarus's halls despite not having gone in since that first day with them. It almost made Minato jealous, as the older teenager was so calm despite the situations that fell about their ears. Minato had been aware of the Dark Hour for ten years now, but even he felt uneasy with everything that was going on.

He kept a calm face, sure, but Akihiko seemed naturally calm.

" _Well, it_ is _understandable,_ " Tamamo said as Minato guided them down the corridor. " _Akihiko has been at the whole fighting Shadows scene for two years. Judging by what he said before, he went on patrols regularly during the Dark Hour to beat any Shadows that left Tartarus._ "

 _And fighting seems second nature to him,_ he thought. _He was really disappointed at not being able to come with us any time we went here before._

Tamamo hummed. " _His reason to fight is a strong one. He takes it very seriously._ "

 _His reason to fight…_ he mused. _The goal that was important enough to stake his life on to reach…_

When a Shadow attacked, Akihiko met his target with his fist—a well-aimed strike that snaked out and caught the mask in a blink. All things said, the masks of Shadows were admittedly somewhat fragile compared to the main body, but they were still sturdy enough to withstand some damage. So it was a great surprise that what seemed like more of a warning hit resulted in an immediate _crack_ in the mask, sending the Shadow skittering back.

Akihiko clicked his tongue, clearly disappointed with himself, and an almost awkward silence ensued before the rush of battle called for the underclassmen to focus on other things.

When it was over, however, they huddled together, still rather stunned at the display of raw strength.

"Dude, remind me never to piss him off," Junpei uttered with terrified awe.

Minato warily agreed.

And so they continued through the floor, gathering what materials they could find before ascending to the next. Mitsuru accompanied them through the transceiver and her Persona's communicative abilities, but as they climbed higher and higher, Minato noticed that the signal seemed to get weaker from her end. Even scanning enemies turned up less results, requiring them to tread lightly on what skills they used to avoid wasting energy.

Before long, Minato had them return to the entrance, nerves getting the better of him. It didn't seem that Mitsuru would lose contact with them anytime soon, but they'd been up for a while. Long enough for Akihiko to get back into the groove of fighting outside of the boxing ring, at any rate. He seemed to be disappointed at the short run, but reluctantly agreed when Minato told him he didn't want to risk possibly reinjuring his ribs so soon after they were proclaimed healed.

Dia spells were useful, but they could only do so much.

As they returned to the dorm that night, Minato decided to spend more time in the gym. He was lucky the kendo club had been recruiting this time around. It may not have been the same sword type that he used, but it was still useful to know to improve his own technique. And with Akihiko fighting alongside them, he had a feeling he would need every little bit to keep up.

* * *

The days flew by quickly. In between attending club practices, filling in at the odd student council meeting, and hanging out with Junpei and Yukari, Minato barely noticed the time slipping away until summer rolled by, calling for the change in uniform.

He couldn't help the relieved sigh that escaped as he tugged on the shorter-sleeved shirt, buttoning it up. He thought it had been getting hotter. If they had stayed in the winter uniform much longer, he would have been baking.

" _You probably wouldn't feel as warm if you cut that mop of a hairstyle of yours,_ " Tamamo remarked.

 _Too lazy…_

She huffed. " _At least pull it back or something, then!_ "

 _I don't have something like that, though…_

" _Minato,_ " Tamamo deadpanned." _You live in a coed dorm. Asking Mitsuru for normal accessories might be a stretch, but Yukari's bound to have at least a headband or something you can use._ "

And so, after some debate on whether or not he should endure the annoyance of another summer with a sweaty face and bangs (no thank you), he went to his female classmate's room, hoping to catch her before she set out to class. Thankfully, she was still in when he knocked.

She gave him a decidedly odd look when he asked for a hair tie (headbands were easier to wear, but he thought they looked strange on guys), but handed a few thankfully plain black ones over, citing that he could keep them since she never used it anyway.

Minato thanked her before tying his bangs back then and there.

Yukari watched him, looking confused. "Why the change in style all of a sudden? Thought the whole hair in your face thing was part of your 'cool guy' charm or something."

He sent her a blank look. "…The heck is that?"

"It's not?" she asked, surprised. He wondered if he should feel offended. "It's just… Why keep your hair like that then, if it gets so annoying? I keep wondering how you see with it all in front of your eyes, but I figured it was all just part of your look, so…"

 _Is that how it works?_ Minato wondered. "I just don't like going to the barber… Too troublesome."

"…Seriously? That's it?"

He shrugged.

"I… see…" The brunette seemed at a loss. "Y'know, Minato-kun, you can be pretty weird sometimes. Maybe not on Junpei levels, but you're definitely a lot less cool than I thought you'd be."

" _Foot-in-mouth syndrome strikes again!_ "

Minato only dipped his head. "Thanks."

And then he all but flounced off before she could decide if she had meant it as a compliment or not. He could tolerate his female teammate better after having fought alongside her, but sometimes things were just better left unsaid.

* * *

That morning, walking into the school building, Minato noticed that the student body was more riled up than usual. Students mingled together, forgoing their usual cliques as they shared information. It wasn't such an unusual sight, but it was uncommon enough that Minato lowered the volume on his music to near inaudible levels to hear what was going around. Only the biggest rumors flew around in such a way, grabbing just about the whole of the student body's attention.

"So who was it?" one girl whispered to another. "Do you know?"

"No, but I heard she's in the 11th grade," answered the other.

"Wait, was she the chick who got suspended a while back?" asked a boy. Minato vaguely recognized his face to be someone from his class. "I heard she got caught trying to go to Shirakawa Boulevard or something."

"Dude, that's another girl," his friend retorted, shoving his arm. "Nah, I hear this girl ran away from home. Wonder why she was found here, though…"

" _I'm_ wondering what put her in the hospital," said another.

And on they went, the rumors growing or shrinking in detail with every student Minato passed. They continued off and on throughout the day, as other students not "in the know" were informed, speculation rising. It was almost amazing, in a way, how they could latch onto such information so quickly and chime in.

" _Even students at private schools get excited when action involving one of their own occurs,_ " Tamamo observed as the conversations started up again during the break. She paused. " _Wait a second…_ "

"Man, can you believe these people?" Junpei complained before Minato could ask what was up. "So, Minato, did you hear the details?"

Who hadn't? But, curious as to what Junpei heard, he shrugged. "About what?"

Junpei deadpanned. "Dude, sometimes I worry about you." He shook his head. "Anyways, a girl from 2-E went missing last night and this morning they found her lying on the ground in front of the school gate! Nobody knows what happened and, supposedly, she's still unconscious."

" _Junpei gossips more than even the girls in your class sometimes,_ " Tamamo said as Junpei greeted Yukari, who walked over to join them.

Minato agreed, half-tuned in to his teammates' discussion about the rumors. It seemed they didn't hear much more than what he had. _What were you thinking about earlier?_

" _Hm? Oh._ " Tamamo seemed distracted as Yukari informed them that she had seen the girl the day before, perfectly healthy before the mysterious "attack". " _This incident. You should check up on Fuuka Yamagishi in 2-E when you can. Though I kind of doubt you'll find much…_ "

* * *

It took waiting for the next break between classes, while the teachers changed classrooms, for Minato to do as Tamamo suggested. With a quick word to Junpei that he was just heading to the restroom, he left only to enter their neighboring classroom. A few students looked up at his arrival, but didn't pay him much attention beyond that.

Minato eyed them before spotting a relatively harmless-looking girl. "Excuse me. Is Fuuka Yamagishi here?"

"Fuuka…?" The girl blinked, looking lost even behind her glasses. "Oh, Yamagishi. No. She's out sick."

"I see." A tendril of doubt wove its way through his mind. "Thanks."

He left without another word, standing outside the door. He knew he was blocking the way, but nobody seemed inclined to try to make their way past him. There was another door anyway. _That's suspicious._

" _Oh?_ " Tamamo replied. " _And why's that?_ "

He would have sulked had it not been for the hair tie exposing his full expression to the world. That was her lecturing tone—the type she used when he gave an answer and she wanted him to explain his reasoning like some sort of test. _Yukari mentioned she was sickly, but with these rumors going around… Wait, that unconscious girl wasn't her, was it?_

" _No. A related incident, to be sure, but definitely not Fuuka. I think?_ Was _it this early or…?_ " her voice trailed off, troubled.

He decided he would give it another day or so. To see if any other rumors sprouted up and if Fuuka Yamagishi showed her face herself. If not, then, well, perhaps the upperclassmen would know what to do.

* * *

The next day, Minato visited 2-E again, asking for Fuuka.

He made the mistake of asking the first person he saw rather than looking around for someone credible. The girl he addressed looked incredulous the moment Fuuka's name left his lips.

"Yamagishi? _You_ want to see _her_?" she asked, insultingly disbelieving. The mere tone of her voice brought back unpleasant memories, and his hands clenched unseen in his pockets. "You're _way_ out of her league. I don't think she even likes guys."

Sneers didn't look good on any face, Minato decided.

Oblivious to his flat reaction, she giggled, simpering. "But, hey, if you're looking, I'm free…"

"Not on your life," he said before she could say more. "And I can see she's not here." Not really, since he didn't know what she looked like. But he had a feeling she wasn't. Tamamo confirmed it a moment later. "Thanks for nothing."

He left her gaping at his back amidst snickering classmates. As he stepped back into his class, he reflected. That was a bit rude, but…

The memories of his childhood growing up screeched to a halt from where they'd been rising up, the taunting jeers of relatives and classmates fading before their words could become clear. In their place was a comforting silence, broken by a soft humming.

… _Thanks, Tamamo._

She didn't reply, but she did send him a pat on the head. It made all the difference.

* * *

June opened with a flurry of ghost stories, all instigated by the continuously growing rumors of the girl found unconscious by the school gates. Allegedly, she still had yet to awaken and thus the student body felt obligated to provide answers as to why.

Eating a bread from the school commissary, Minato wondered what it was about the human psyche that automatically jumped to the paranormal the moment something strange popped up. Of course, the more logical folks moved on to the reasonable ideas, but the stories of vengeful spirits and lingering regrets tended to spread faster through the grapevine.

"I don't believe any of it!" Yukari announced adamantly after taking a bite of her own lunch. "Ghosts. Don't. Exist. Some people can be so stupid."

"Aw, c'mon, Yuka-tan," Junpei wheedled. "We of all people should know that not _everything_ can be explained so easily, yeah? Who's to say ghosts don't exist either?"

She glared. "Shush, Stupei!" The nickname seemed to have stuck, much to Junpei's dismay. "And no. There might be… _that_ , but not ghosts. No way. That's just too farfetched. Right, Minato-kun?"

"Don't involve me in this," Minato said blandly. Then, taking the opportunity before either of them could open their mouths to continue the argument, he asked, "By the way, have either of you seen Fuuka Yamagishi around?"

"The new recruit?" Junpei asked, adjusting to the abrupt shift in topics with ease. "Nah. She hasn't been at school, I don't think. Guess she's sick in the hospital again or something."

"Yeah," Yukari agreed, though she sent Junpei a dirty look. Most likely for his continued lack of censorship on Dark Hour-related matters. "I haven't seen her during club times either… At least, I think she's in a club. Not really sure, though. Why do you ask?"

Minato considered telling them that he thought she was involved with the rumors floating around, but wondered at his lack of evidence. She really could just be out sick, though Tamamo was certain something would happen with her sometime.

"Just paranoid," he said eventually. "I've tried asking around, but I guess I'm still too new so people don't know me enough to give me more information. Maybe you guys will have more luck than me."

Junpei barely took a second to agree while Yukari mulled it over before accepting. "Yeah, you should probably get out a bit more, Minato-kun. I still get asked who you are sometimes. Which, considering how fast stuff gets around in our school, is pretty impressive."

He only sighed in response, brushing his pants of any stray crumbs. "Dealing with people can be so tiring, though…"

A crumpled up napkin hit the side of his exposed forehead. "You are so lazy!"

Junpei barked out a laugh. "Ha! You got his little mole there. Nice one, Yuka-tan!"

"Don't get me started on you, Stupei."

"Will you stop calling me that!?"


	12. Investigation Team the First

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Fun Fact 1: There is a reason why Tamamo has been unsuccessful in overwriting her appearance outside of repairing broken pieces. Pharos's giggling is also related to this reason.

Fun Fact 2: There is also a small reason why Minato briefly ties his hair back during these early days of summer. And it's actually a very easily guessed reason, too. It's nothing big, though, so don't worry about it if you don't know why, haha.

Fun Fact 3: Before the idea of Tamamo being stuck in Minato's head came about, the original direction of this story revolved around a traditional reincarnation SI, in which Tamamo would be born in place of Yukari Takeba. It was only when I started joking about reincarnation not mixing well with the Wild Card ability that my living soundboard mentioned sounded like a more interesting story. And then, well, here we are.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twelve  
**

* * *

That evening, Minato was working on his class work at the dining table when Yukari joined him, looking frustrated. He knew the feeling. Tensions seemed to be at an all-time high that day, whether in the student council room, where Hidetoshi Odagiri of the disciplinary committee faced the ire of his fellow council members, or amongst the regular student body, who were strung up from all the rumors.

"Everywhere I go, people are just spouting the same things," she grumbled. "'Ghost' this, 'vengeful spirit' that… I thought our school was supposed to be full of smart people."

"Nope," Minato said, distracted from his current work problem but trying hard to concentrate on it, "just rich."

Yukari huffed. "Either way, it's stupid. The more I hear, the more outlandish the rumors get. Oh, but Fuuka's apparently being kept at home. I talked to her homeroom teacher, Mr. Ekoda, and he said her parents called to say she'd be out a while due to illness."

Minato glanced up when he heard a book shut from the direction of the lounge. Mitsuru and Akihiko had been sitting there when he arrived back from club practice, talking in low tones. But now they rose from the couches and were heading in their direction.

"Hey, you guys talking about Yamagishi?" Akihiko asked as they approached. Both seniors took a seat at the table.

Yukari straightened. "Huh? Oh, y—yeah. Minato-kun was looking for her earlier—" casually throwing him under the bus, "—but couldn't get any answers from her classmates, so I went to see her teacher."

"And he said she's just sick, huh?" The rhetorical question was left alone as Akihiko shared a glance with Mitsuru. Then, his gray eyes went to Minato, who lowered his pen from his notebook. "Why the curiosity about Yamagishi, Arisato?"

"I like to think my instincts are on point," Minato replied, calm as you please despite them interrupting his homework session. "I've never seen her, but she's been out since that other girl was found… Rumors have a way of taking pieces of the truth and distorting them, so I just think it's suspicious." He paused for a beat. "And the way some of her classmates talk about her just rubs me the wrong way."

Okay, that last bit was somewhat of a lie, as Minato had only heard one girl talk in such a way. But he knew that high school girls tended to act in packs. If there was one with such a view, chances were there were at least two or three more.

The two upperclassmen looked thoughtful at his words, but before they could speak the dorm's front entrance burst open.

"Hey, Yuka-tan, Minato! Have you guys—oh, you're all here. Sweet!" Junpei hurried in, throwing his bag on one of the couches before going to the dining table to sit down with them. "Anyway, have you guys seen the posts on the student message board? Latest rumor's that it was an angry spirit from this one ghost story that got the girl last week."

Yukari paled, but Mitsuru and Akihiko looked highly interested. Minato started putting away his notebooks, giving studying up as a lost cause.

"What is this ghost story about?" Mitsuru asked.

"Yeah, I'm curious," Akihiko added, "Tell us."

Junpei looked pleased that they were taking him seriously, and as Yukari appeared to brace herself in her chair, he recited the tale. He even whipped out a flashlight from his back pocket (though why he even had a flashlight, Minato didn't know) and shined it up on his face for effect.

"Good evening. Welcome to 'Junpei's Believe It or Don't'," Junpei began in a dramatic tone that made Tamamo snerk. "There are many strange things in this world… According to one story, if you get caught at school late at night, you'll be devoured by a maniacal ghost that roams the halls! The other day, this friend of mine—let's call him Shu… He said to me, 'Junpei, I saw something strange.' He sounded serious, so I asked him what he'd seen. He said it was about the girl in 2-E… He claims he saw her go into the school on the night of the incident…"

Minato blinked, even as Junpei continued on with his dramatic retelling. The girl went into the school at night? But wouldn't she have gotten caught by the guards? Then again, if she was alone and could somehow slip by, then it was possible she could've snuck in.

But then…

If it was late enough and she was in the school building when midnight struck… She would've been caught in Tartarus, wouldn't she? Even if she transmogrified into a coffin. And depending on where she entered from, who knew where she could have ended up in the labyrinth's halls.

"Arisato?"

Looking up, he found his teammates looking at him expectantly.

"You look like you were deep in thought," Akihiko said, amused. "Anything to add or were you just making plans for this investigation?"

Investigation? Minato shook his head. _Focus_. "Hey, Junpei… Did your friend or any of the posts say what time at night they saw that girl head into the school?"

He was staring at Junpei, but could see Mitsuru and Akihiko straighten in the corner of his eyes. They seemed to understand what he was trying to ask. Good.

"Uh, not that I know," Junpei replied. "Just said it was late…" His eyes widened and not a second later, Yukari gasped. "Wait, you don't think…?"

"You think she ran into Tartarus?" Yukari asked.

"That's certainly a possibility if she truly managed to sneak in," Mitsuru murmured. "And since she does not have the potential, she would have transmogrified and been preyed on by the Shadows…"

"That would explain why she was found unconscious like that," Akihiko concluded grimly. "Seems like a more serious case than the usual Apathy Syndrome victims, though. And it makes you wonder why she was attacked like that when the night guards at the school haven't been."

"Which means we're missing information." Mitsuru stood, stance regal and authoritative. Her sharp gaze landed on the three juniors, who straightened instinctively. "You three, do what you can to gather more information about these rumors and those involved—eye witnesses, relatives of the victim, anything at all. Akihiko and I will do our own investigating. If Shadows are truly involved with this, then it will be up to us to deal with it."

They agreed and Mitsuru strode away, heading up the stairs. Akihiko stood to grab his bag from his previous seat on the couch before heading up after her.

"Whoa, looks like we stumbled on something big," Junpei said, awed. A large grin made its way onto his face. "Awesome! This is getting exciting! We're gonna be doing some real detective work here!"

"Seems like it." Minato picked up his bag, intent on going to his room where he could study (and make investigation plans) in peace. "I feel tired just thinking about it."

"I _knew_ it wasn't a ghost," Yukari muttered.

Junpei snickered. "So that's what you found important about all this, Yuka-tan? Didn't think you'd be so scared of ghost stories."

"Oh, shut up, Junpei!" she snapped. "Anyways, I'm leaving. We'll all be investigating this, right? We should all take a few days to gather as much information as we can. Then we'll meet again and pool what we found out together. You guy's had better not slack off!"

She stood and, with a final glare, stomped away.

Junpei shook his head. "Every day, Yuka-tan feels more and more like a nanny." He sent Minato a side-glance. "This is pretty serious, though. D'ya really think it could be Shadows?"

"The vaguer stories fit when you apply the Dark Hour in instead of ghosts." Minato shrugged. "But until we have all the details, there's no way to know for sure."

"True… Well then!" The baseball-capped teen stood, striking a heroic pose straight out of _Phoenix Ranger Featherman R_. "Looks like this is a case for Junpei, Ace Detective! I'm gonna give this my all!"

Years of practice helped Minato keep his face straight even as Tamamo started cackling like a hyena. "Good luck."

* * *

That night, Minato woke during the Dark Hour to find the strange boy sitting by his legs again. He wondered what it said about his life that he was starting to expect it.

"Evening," he muttered as he sat up, rubbing his eyes.

The boy smiled up at him. Had it been any other child, Minato supposed he would be beaming. "I came to see you again, as I promised. How are you?"

"As well as I can be, I guess," Minato sleepily replied. "And you?"

The return question was asked more out of courtesy and habit than anything, but the boy looked so honestly surprised that it kind of hurt to see.

"I…" The boy trailed off. His calm never broke, but he was clearly affected. "I am fine…"

It sounded like a question, like he wasn't entirely certain, but Minato nodded anyway, repressing the urge to reach out and pat the boy's head. Tamamo was a bad influence at times. "That's good." Now more awake, he tried to peer at his calendar, but the light was too dim in his room to read it clearly. "Are you here to tell me about the next full moon?"

Grasping at the line Minato provided him, the boy nodded. "Indeed. In another week, the moon will be full again and the next ordeal will be upon you." He peered up at Minato, clear blue eyes standing out against the green-hued world. "Please be careful."

He then faded from sight, only to reappear, standing at the foot of the bed. His smile was back. "I'll come visit again."

Minato waited until he vanished completely before flopping down on his bed. He'd been counting down days to each full moon after both the boy's and Tamamo's warning, but these recurring visits made the deadlines seem all the more real. And as much as he anticipated their coming, he dreaded them. This time even more so.

"Tamamo," he called aloud.

A questioning hum was his reply.

"This ordeal… it's going to involve Fuuka Yamagishi, isn't it?"

It was strange how he could think so much about the girl when he hadn't even properly met her yet. But with everything that was going on, about vengeful spirits and her being out sick for more than a week, he couldn't help but feel suspicious. Especially since it had been planned that she would possibly join the team in the future, ill reputation or not.

" _Yes,_ " Tamamo replied. " _I think I have the pieces together now… would you like to hear it?_ "

It was tempting, really, to have the answers before anyone else did.

But.

"No. I want to do this on my own, like the others," he stated, the words feeling more truthful as he spoke them. Beyond his strange power, he had to know he was capable of the same things they were.

" _I see…_ " Tamamo murmured, and he worried briefly that he had hurt her. Her knowledge was her pride, after all, and she had always been glad to impart what information she could to help him. She laughed, however, and he relaxed when her voice came out light and teasing, " _You're always growing, it seems, when I least expect it. It makes me feel a little lonely!_ "

Which sounded pretty silly to him since she was always with him and vice versa.

"You can always let me know if I'm on the right track," he suggested, so that she didn't feel left out. "I'll do my best, but my best won't be worth anything if I get it all wrong."

" _It's a deal._ "

* * *

As Minato fell back asleep, Tamamo lamented.

He truly was growing. More than she had ever expected. It would be a lie if she said she didn't feel like she was being left behind. She really did. But, at the same time, she felt proud, privileged, to be able to witness his growth. Even if she honestly hadn't believed he would develop so much, and in so little time.

His lifestyle up until that year was rather predictable, after all. He had been an introvert and preferred to keep away from people, at first because he didn't want to bother getting close to anyone and then later because he found them too tiring to be around. His books and his music had been all he needed to keep entertained, and her company was enough to fill his human need for "contact".

But now, in this new environment, his viewpoint was slowly shifting. He still didn't go out much and he still drowned the world out to the heavy beats of Lotus Juice and lilting melodies of Yumi Kawamura, but he was changing. The new bonds he had with people outside of Tamamo were showing him what he'd been missing out on over the years, and his experience leading SEES told him what he was capable of.

Through his Social Links, he was being taught his capacity to care. To love.

Tamamo laughed.

It sounded sappy when she put it that way, but wasn't that what the Social Links in the game had been about? Video Game Caring Potential, or whatever that trope had been called?

Stepping through Minato's mindscape, Tamamo reached for the glowing strings that represented his bonds. Ever since Igor had mentioned it, they had steadily begun to manifest in Minato's mind. Some were still not much more than spider silk, but others, like his bond to SEES or with Junpei and Yukari, had grown steadily brighter over time.

And they were so warm…

Delicately, Tamamo rearranged the Social Links, taking care not to tangle them up in one another as she threaded them around.

She supposed that if she had been in Minato's place, could feel those bonds supporting him each day directly, connected to their warmth… Maybe she could have managed to grow as well. Even with the ending that awaited him.

…His ending.

No. No, please, don't think about—

"Oh, god…" She crumpled, a familiar feeling of fear and despair winding its way around her thoughts. It happened each time she thought deeply about Minato's ultimate end, the fate that was left to him even after he fought Nyx alongside everyone, but it still managed to cripple her every time.

What was this twisted life that he lived, to develop such strong bonds only for death to be his answer? Sure, it was implied that his soul lived on, but to stay forever as the Great Seal? Protecting humanity from its own desire for death? Protecting only the scarce few lives that knew and understood his sacrifice while the rest remained oblivious? When they died, what would be left to him then?

And where would that leave her, in the end? She had accepted her death, as much as she could have. Ten years was a long time to come to terms with things when all she could do was think, after all. Would she join him in the Seal? Or would she be forced to leave him alone, too, useless to the very end?

"Philemon, you bastard," she growled, for lack of a better target for her ire. "You and Nyarlathotep, both. Your bet is one sick game!"

Forcing herself to stand, Tamamo nudged her foot against the surface she stood on, the solid yet liquid-like layer that led to Minato's deeper subconscious and, below that, the sea of his soul.

"You, too," she said, voice accusing. "Don't be a bastard and just play to their whims like that, you hear me?" She kicked her foot, because otherwise she would probably cry. "Or mine, y'know? I'm worse than they are. I'm letting you go down this path. To be some stone statue hidden away at the end of time or whatever. God, you're such an idiot. Why the hell do you trust me?"

There was no response. She stopped scuffing her foot and glowered.

"I'm probably the worst parasite ever," she declared. "Not only am I basically plotting the demise of my host, but I'm also actively encouraging him to help bring about the end of the world. What the hell is my life?"

Then, she snorted. "Oh. Right. I don't actually have one anymore. Goddammit!"

Huffing, Tamamo stormed away to find Orpheus or some other Persona to bug to help channel her frustration to more productive means.

Angst fests never failed to make her angry, but at least they gave her the energy to do things to escape them.

* * *

Day 1 of investigation proved rather useless.

Interestingly, Yukari had been right. The entire student body truly did seem focused on "ghost story" this and "angry spirit" that. Minato thought that the rumors would have tapered off, but that was about all he heard (and would continue to hear) throughout the campus. Mr. Ekoda, in his Classic Literature class, had even ranted a bit in the middle of his lecture about how the students were so ready to share those stories but not the material he was going over.

"Hey, I read those ghost stories that were being spread around school on the Internet," one student he overheard talking to a friend said. "You know, the ones about those students who died, became ghosts, and ate humans… Wait, how would anybody know they ate humans? There wouldn't be any remains."

That was a less-than fruitful conversation to listen to, so Minato went on his way.

"I heard Fuuka-san fainted again, and she's taking days off from school," said a girl in his classroom's hallway. The familiar name made him stop to listen. "I wonder if she's okay… She doesn't look very strong."

Her friend agreed as Minato strode up to them.

"Excuse me," he greeted, "sorry, but I heard you mention Yamagishi-san. Have you seen her recently?"

The two girls blinked at him. "No… Wait, are you the boy who was asking for her a few days ago? She still hasn't come back… Maybe she's in the hospital…"

He sincerely doubted it, but thanked the girls anyway.

When he returned to the dorm that evening, Mitsuru was out and the others were gathered in the lounge, chatting about the investigation. Akihiko apparently had little luck gathering further information himself, as his fellow seniors knew only what circulated in the rumors.

"Can't say I didn't expect it," he admitted, "since the victim is a junior like you guys. No one in my class knew her, so there wasn't much to learn."

"And Mitsuru-senpai's questioning the faculty," Yukari revealed. She looked a little odd, like she had indigestion, at the idea.

Junpei whistled. "Wow. I wouldn't want to be any of the teachers right now, that's for sure!"

* * *

Thankfully, Day 2 of investigation provided a little more information.

"That girl who collapsed is in my class," a girl he spoke to in the lunch line mentioned. "I heard she would run away from home and spend the entire night out. That's probably why she ended up like that."

A girl nearby chimed in. Minato vaguely recognized her face from the back rows of his class. "One of the students who collapsed was in my sister's class, too! Maybe she was running from home?"

The first girl frowned. "I dunno. Did she hang around _that_ place? The girl in my class did. Something definitely must've happened there."

"Ooh, scary!"

Minato latched on to the conversation thread before they could get more off-topic. "What place?" And, backtracking a bit, he added, "There was more than one victim?"

Both girls looked at him oddly. "'Victim'? Erm… Well, there were three of them… haven't you heard?"

He shook his head.

"Huh. I thought that was common knowledge by now." She shrugged. "Anyway, yeah. She hung out at this place behind Port Island Station. All these thugs and punks hang around there… It's a really shady place. Makes you wonder what she must've gotten up to before all this happened."

Evening at the dorm found Akihiko lying on the couch, groaning about migraines and squealing females. He had apparently tried to be more proactive in gathering information and tried to question his groupies.

Suffice to say, it ended badly for him.

Minato uttered a quick prayer for health for the boxer before hightailing it to his room, leaving him in relative peace.

* * *

June 4th, Day 3, Minato finally pieced it all together.

"I heard that those students who were sent to the hospital were bullying other students," was the first catalyzing phrase.

"Fuuka-san is absent today, too," was the second.

During lunch, Minato barged into 2-E from the door at the front of the classroom, asking once more if anyone had seen Fuuka Yamagishi. He knew she wasn't there, but he wanted to see their reactions. A bullied student was often kept hushed up to avoid attracting the teachers' attention, but if his hunch was correct, then there was no way anyone involved could be unaffected. Not when she'd been absent so long.

(His assumption also relied on her bullies being from her class, which wasn't necessarily always the case. But Tamamo didn't steer him any other way when he brought it up, so he was going on the thought that he was at least partially correct.)

"Arisato-san," a girl near the front greeted him. She was the mousy girl who'd answered him the first time he went to their room. She apparently went to the trouble of learning his identity. "Yamagishi's not in today either. It must be important if you keep stopping by for her every day. Have you checked the hospital?"

In the middle of the room, Minato caught sight of a girl as she flinched violently.

"No," he said slowly. He tried not to look too obvious as he scanned the classroom, but his gaze fell on the girl sitting in the middle, second row from the front.

It was hard to miss her. She stood out from her classmates with her hair and skin color, as well as her make-up. Ganguro? Or was it gyaru? Either way, Minato recognized the trend, but felt a strange sort of pity for her. Her looks certainly made her stand apart now, and that made it much easier to see her tremble and shake in her chair, eyes riveted to her desk.

"Actually, would you happen to know where your teacher is? It's been so long, I think I'll just try to get her contact information from him," he said, keeping the girl in the corner of his eyes. And, because names meant something in the world, he added, "And I live in the same dorm and attend the same club as Kirijo-senpai. I guess she was getting concerned, as Yamagishi-san is a... recruit, so she asked me and my dormmates to keep an eye out."

Not quite a lie, but not the whole truth either.

"Natsuki-chan?" he heard someone ask as the girl he was talking to gave him Mr. Ekoda's location. "Are you okay?"

"I—I…" The orange-haired girl—Natsuki—stammered. She let out a strangled gasp, standing so abruptly that her desk screeched against the tiled floor. "I gotta go!"

She ran out, giving him a wide berth as she left. Her classmates could only stare at her departure in confusion.

"Thanks," Minato said absently as he gazed at the door Natsuki left through. Quietly and with hardly as much fanfare, he walked out after her.

To the faculty office, he supposed.

But first, a stop to the student council room.

* * *

It wasn't often that Mitsuru was in the room itself, always preoccupied with some other task she set upon herself, but the room was bustling even during lunch and she was prudent enough to tell them of where to find her in case of emergency. To save time and effort spent trying to find her before he went to try to ask anything of Mr. Ekoda, Minato went there to see what the council members knew.

"A—Ah, Minato-san," Chihiro Fushimi, the council's treasurer, greeted him timidly when he entered.

"Chihiro-san," Minato returned, bobbing his head in a nod. He cast his gaze about the room. "The president isn't here?"

"Not at the moment," Hidetoshi replied from near the blackboard. Minato took a moment to look him over. The disciplinary committee leader seemed better rested than the last few times he saw him. That was good. "Did you want to speak with her, Minato-kun? She informed us that she would be back later."

"And later is now," Mitsuru announced as she slid the door open. She strode into the room, commanding the attention of the entire student council immediately upon entering. Waving them off to continue their work, she approached him. "What is it, Arisato?"

Minato gave her a quick but thorough run-through of the information he found, including his suspicions of Fuuka Yamagishi's disappearance. He knew he was being pretty stubborn about her absences being related to the case at hand, to the point of bullheadedness, but Tamamo had yet to correct him on his assumptions. So he had a strong feeling that he was right.

Mitsuru seemed almost amused, perhaps noticing his obstinacy as well. "Is this your instinct at work again?" But as quick as her smile showed, it just as quickly faded into stern determination. "Very well. Ekoda's continued excuses for Yamagishi's absences struck me as rather odd as well, especially since there were no further notices beyond 'illness'. I will go to deal with him."

Minato nodded, tilting his head when she gave him an assessing look. "…What?"

The student council president folded her arms over her chest. "You mentioned something in your report… That the three students that fell unconscious hung out in a place behind the station and that their friends were thugs…" She took a moment to gather her thoughts. "I want you to gather Akihiko and Iori and go to this place after school. There may be someone there who can give us even more information that can't be found amongst the other students… Akihiko should know where to find him."

Agreeing, Minato turned to leave before stopping. "What about that Natsuki girl?"

Mitsuru only gave him a dismissive wave of her hand. "Leave that to me, Arisato."

With nothing left to lose, Minato left with a brief farewell to Chihiro and Hidetoshi—the only council members he could honestly stand—and returned to class.


	13. Let the Countdown Begin

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : To those that have taken the time to review, thank you very much for doing so as it helps my growth as a writer to know what I'm doing right and gives me a chance to start correcting what I get wrong. This is a NANOWRIMO-ish work, which means it contains many flaws that normally wouldn't be overlooked (or at least hammered out) in a regular writing cycle, as half of the fun of the challenge is writing for writing's sake and leaving the editing for later… So, I must thank you again if you stick through with it in this starting month despite its flaws.

Also, chapter spoilers, you have no idea how much I wanted to pull an early rescue, but then Ikutsuki butted his way in and steered us right back on course. Frustrating, because on some level it actually makes sense for them to go with his word as Mitsuru and Akihiko trust him, but that's okay. I've been going over the later bits of the plot and it seems like certain events to come will change… though whether for good or for ill depends on perspective.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirteen  
**

* * *

Convincing Junpei to go was easy once Minato returned to class, informing him of Mitsuru's orders and that it was SEES business. His classmate was a bit leery when he got the full details ("Wait, behind the station—you don't mean _that_ place, do you!?"), but calmed down when Minato mentioned Akihiko would supposedly be coming.

Yukari had been outraged after hearing of their little mission, as she had archery practice to attend that she couldn't miss. But, as Junpei pointed out, the area they were going to be visiting was really no place for them and that it was better she stay behind anyway. She scowled, but reluctantly backed down when both boys convinced her that Akihiko would likely be doing most of the work this time and it wasn't left in their "lazy hands".

"I don't know where he is, though," Minato admitted as they departed from class after school, Yukari's threats to not mess things up chasing them out.

"Seriously?" Junpei asked. "Just follow the squealing girls."

…Finding Akihiko was a cinch after that.

* * *

"I can't believe Mitsuru's asking us to go there of all places," Akihiko murmured as he led them down the streets. "Then again, if it's really related to everything that's going on, I guess I don't blame her for covering all her bases."

"Why're we even going anyway?" Junpei asked, already wary despite them being a long way off from the station. "Is there really something we can find there that'll help?"

"More like someone," Akihiko replied with an odd smile. "We have a… contact that spends his time there. If those girls really were hanging around before the incidents occurred, he would know why. You guys have met him before, actually."

"Huh?" Junpei appeared dumbfounded. "We have?"

Minato felt similarly clueless. He couldn't recall meeting anyone of particular note recently. Unless it was a while ago that they met him.

Tamamo sent him an image of the person in question. A beanie, dark hair, narrow eyes…

… _Oh!_ Yeah, Minato could remember meeting that guy. In the hospital visiting Akihiko no less. So he was the contact?

" _Shinjiro Aragaki. He's a dear friend of Akihiko's and technically your senpai at school, though he doesn't seem to attend much,_ " Tamamo elucidated as Akihiko recounted the hospital visit to Junpei. Minato blinked. He was a teenager? He looked older than that… " _He's also a previous member of SEES. He worked with Mitsuru and Akihiko under the chairman before an accident caused him to resign._ "

 _Accident?_

" _Mm…_ " His Other sounded solemn. " _About two years ago, he lost control of his Persona while eliminating a Shadow during a SEES operation… It killed a mother who was with her son in the area. Needless to say, it traumatized him as much as it had the child. Maybe even more so._ "

Minato stumbled, and he muttered excuses to cover it up to the others as he soaked in what Tamamo told him. A Persona that had gone berserk? It had _killed_ someone?

" _And he has been repenting for it ever since,_ " Tamamo confirmed. " _To the point of self-destruction._ "

He had no idea what to say in response to that. She didn't say anything more, either, letting him talk himself around in his own thoughts. To find that someone had killed another with a Persona, however accidentally… To realize that one's control over a Persona could be lost… It was frightening.

Something similar had happened to him, he knew, though the one Tamamo called "Thanatos" was not a Persona per se. She referred to it simply as a "being" locked behind that door in his head and he had yet to come in contact with it since… Judging by this story, perhaps it was for the best.

If either Akihiko or Junpei noticed his disquiet along the way, they politely said nothing. Minato was grateful.

* * *

When the three boys finally arrived at Port Island Station, Akihiko motioned for Junpei and Minato to follow him down an alleyway along its side. He led them through, steps as calm and assertive as when he strode through Tartarus. The sight and sound was almost comforting in its familiarity.

"We're lucky this isn't a Saturday night," Akihiko told them as they passed by a dumpster. "There'd be a lot more people then."

A lot more trouble, was what was left unsaid.

Junpei gulped and Minato took a deep breath of the stale air to try to calm his nerves. They'd been through numerous trials already, traversing up the steps of Tartarus and fighting Shadows capable of reducing them to vegetables, but somehow the thought of facing other humans was still worse.

Akihiko paid them no mind even as the alleyway opened up to a larger area, heading straight to the steps that led to an underground club. A familiar figure in a distinctive maroon coat was seated there, and he looked up as Akihiko neared him.

"The hell're you doing here, Aki?" Shinjiro Aragaki grunted, looking severely unimpressed by his fellow senior's boldness. His gray eyes slid to Minato and Junpei as they followed, narrowing further. "Are you guys stupid or something? Coming here in your uniforms… tch."

"Nice to see you, too, Shinji," Akihiko greeted dryly. "Actually, there's something we need to ask you… Mitsuru thinks you'll have some answers."

That seemed to catch Shinjiro's attention, as he straightened slightly. Then, he glared at Akihiko, who bore it patiently. "Why me?" When Akihiko didn't answer, he relaxed his posture again, leaning against the stairs. "Hmph. Fine. What do you wanna know?"

Akihiko stepped back at this, looking to Minato and gesturing for him to step up with a tilt of his head.

Minato twitched, but dutifully moved forward. He quailed a little under Shinjiro's full attention—he was intimidating, okay?—and took a moment to gather his wits by clearing his throat. "It's about… the rumors at school." He paused, uncertain. "Have you, uh, heard of them?"

Shinjiro snorted, but he didn't seem offended. If anything, he sounded a bit like a grumpy horse. "Loads of rumors on a high school campus, but if you're talking about those ghost stories, yeah. I might've heard a bit. What about 'em?"

Minato kept his face carefully blank as he explained the stories because "grumpy horse"? Really?

" _You seemed like you could use the help in calming down,_ " Tamamo said innocently. She chuckled. " _Don't worry. He's intimidating, no lie, but there's much more to him than that._ "

Right.

"…Huh," said Shinjiro once Minato finished.

Junpei looked amazed. "Dude, you actually found all that out? Just from asking?"

"There's a lot of guess work," Minato admitted. Not that he would tell them how he had pursued the trail that Fuuka Yamagishi was involved like a bloodhound even before Tamamo had officially confirmed it. What could he say? He didn't like bullies and the bits and pieces he'd picked up had pinged to him like a radar. "But Kirijo-senpai evidently thinks it's a lead worth following."

"Damn lucky guess," Shinjiro said. "You're right. Those girls in the hospital hung out here, talking shit every night about the stuff they'd done to that Fuuka girl. S'why the ghost rumors started up. People are saying that it's Fuuka's spirit that got 'em."

"H—Her spirit?" Junpei echoed, eyes wide. "You mean to say that she's—!?"

"What'd they do?" Minato asked, though he felt his stomach turn uneasily. He felt Tamamo try to soothe him and knew that the conversation was starting to trigger his more unpleasant memories again. He took a deep breath through his nose and tried to calm down, but it was hard to tell if it was working.

"She's _missing_ ," Shinjiro stressed, "and hell if I know. But some people're starting to think she's dead, so it must've been bad." His lips curled down in a scowl as he shot a glare in Akihiko's direction. "She hasn't been home in a week—Aki, how do you guys not know this? The hell have you been doing!?"

To his credit, Akihiko did not take a step back like Minato and Junpei had at the older student's outburst. He did, however, look abashed. "That's why we're going around for information now! Whatever happened, we're going to help save her—all of them!"

Shinjiro's fury seemed to melt from his face, leaving behind a strange look that Minato wasn't sure how to interpret. "Oh, I get it. Trying to make up for the past, huh…? So, you still can't let go…"

Akihiko didn't reply, but Minato noticed quite keenly how his hand curled into a fist. He straightened, however, when Shinjiro looked his way.

"That's all I know," he said gruffly. "That it?"

"Ah." His thoughts lagged, but Shinjiro had confirmed their main concerns. Mitsuru would have to be informed in order for them to plan what they did next. "Yes. Thank you." And because politeness was an ongoing struggle, he bowed, hearing Junpei shuffle into one as well by the rustling of his clothes.

Akihiko didn't bother, and when Minato straightened he saw a distant look in the upperclassman's eyes. "Thanks, Shinji."

Shinjiro shrugged their gratitude off, standing. "Whatever. Don't come here again."

As he walked off, Minato tilted his head as he watched him go. Years of living with a voice in his head, relying more on the sound and tone behind the words than body language, had taught him to listen closely to how others spoke. He wasn't always right at guessing the meanings behind each phrase, or the intent, but that certainly had not sounded like a punk trying to ensure his territory was clear or keeping annoyances out of his hair. Not entirely, anyway.

" _Told you,_ " Tamamo sang as they started heading back to the dorm. " _He's a nice guy. Just… prickly._ "

Minato thought of a porcupine wearing a beanie and she laughed, the sound washing away the remnants of the feeling of danger from the alley now behind them.

" _Yeah, like that_ ," she agreed. Her mirth soon faded and Minato could feel her become pensive, though he dared not dive in while walking on the busy streets to see her clearly. " _But… I think he could use another friend outside of Akihiko._ "

 _That's incredibly unsubtle for you,_ Minato thought. _What makes you think he'd let me even try?_

It seemed more likely that Shinjiro would try to beat him up, in all honesty.

" _He won't,_ " Tamamo said bluntly. " _To both of those things. But still, Akihiko's pretty much his only link to the world, and his guilt is the only thing that's kept him living, though it's killing him at the same time. I just think… if he knew he had more in his life… would he hold on more tightly?_ "

He didn't say anything, not knowing how to respond. The rest of the way back to the dorm, things were silent, broken only by the occasional chatter by Junpei and, once he returned from whatever distant memory that had plagued him, Akihiko.

* * *

Strangely, the atmosphere at the dorm seemed even tenser than the air in the alley when the trio of boys got back. Once through the doors, they found Mitsuru and Yukari sitting at the dorm lounge. Mitsuru, at one of the single seats, had her arms crossed over her chest with a stormy aura looming around her. Yukari, on one of the longer couches, was sitting ramrod straight and looking like she was caged with a hungry tiger.

"Uh…" Junpei made the mistake of vocalizing. He gave a "meep!" when Mitsuru's attention snapped to them.

"Report," she ordered tersely. The three exchanged looks before quickly shuffling over to claim a seat.

When neither of his fellows spoke up, Minato gave an internal sigh, steeled himself, and recited what they'd confirmed with Shinjiro as concisely as possible. "Aragaki-senpai said that the three victims in the hospital did hang out behind the station. They talked about what they did to Fuuka Yamagishi there often… though he didn't know exactly what they did."

"That's fine," Mitsuru said. She still looked rather angry and it did nothing to help with the mood. "My talk with Ekoda was quite enlightening. To put it succinctly, he covered up Yamagishi's status as an extended illness in order to prevent further investigation, thereby protecting his career." She tossed a curl of red hair over her shoulder, disgust plain on her face. "As for what happened to Yamagishi… she was locked in the gym."

At that, everyone looked up, shocked.

"What?" Yukari breathed.

"How did you…" Junpei began.

Minato had a sinking feeling in his stomach. A heavy weight seemed to lodge in his chest.

Locked in the gym. She had been… as he would have… It was the same. A nearly forgotten terror curled in his gut as he remembered, mind flashing back to days he'd rather keep buried. Days when he found out how ugly human emotions could be. How they could be swayed to prey on others who were different and couldn't help it. Others who had no one to look, to see, to _care_ if they disappeared—

And then the memories broke apart, shattered, and Minato took in a quiet breath—when had he stopped?—almost against his volition. " _Breathe, Minato. Just breathe._ "

"When I went to interrogate Ekoda, a student by the name of Natsuki Moriyama was there, seeking counsel from him," Mitsuru explained, sending Minato a meaningful look. "Moriyama admitted to being part of the group that tormented Yamagishi. On May 29th, she and the others locked Yamagishi in the gym… One went back that night to release her, but ended up as the first victim. Each night after, another was taken… Moriyama is the only one left who has not succumbed to the voice and become Lost."

Minato's fingers dug into the material of his pants, trying to ground himself. Locked in the gym at night… and since she had the potential as a Persona-user… "No wonder she went missing," he muttered. "She's in whatever space-time pocket that exists to help the school become Tartarus each night."

"That's insane…" Junpei uttered. "If she's been in there since then… is she even still alive?"

"A—And what do you mean by 'voice'?" Yukari stammered.

"There's no way of knowing Yamagishi's status unless we find her," Mitsuru said, looking guilty that she could not provide much more than that. "And it seems that Shadows do indeed have a way of dragging individuals without the potential into the Dark Hour. They prey on normal human beings, drawing them in by actively calling out to them—that's the voice."

They each fell silent after that, taking in the heavy revelations.

Mitsuru stood. "Speaking of, Natsuki Moriyama will be staying at our dorm for now, in the interest of her safety. I've called the chairman; he should be here soon to help set up an operation to rescue Yamagishi."

She walked off, leaving them to their thoughts.

* * *

When Ikutsuki arrived barely an hour later, he heard them out once they settled in the usual meeting room on the fourth floor. But rather than supporting them in an immediate rescue operation, he advised them to instead calm down and think more clearly about it all.

"What?" Yukari gaped. "If Fuuka's still alive, she could be in serious danger right now! We have to do something!"

"Yeah!" Junpei agreed, disbelieving that the man was not as on board as they were. "The Dark Hour's brutal and we're the only ones who can save her, right? There's no way we can just leave her there even longer!"

"I understand your concern," Ikutsuki said, hands held up in a placating manner, "and I'm not saying we should abandon her. However, rushing into the situation with your emotions running high will do no good for any of you."

It was hard not to listen when he sounded so reasonable. Especially if they would end up looking like children throwing tantrums if they protested further. Minato did his best to loosen the line of his own shoulders as everyone took a figurative step back to reassess themselves.

Ikutsuki smiled. "Good. Now, although I would like nothing more than to help you find Yamagishi-kun as soon as possible, we'll need more time to properly set up a search and rescue. I will need to clear my own schedule in order to help you into the school at the proper time, so as not to potentially get you in trouble with the guards on shift at night."

"Can't we just break in?" Junpei asked. "I think I know a way to get us in easy."

"You could, but as you are formally listed as a club, it would be much more convenient to go through the official channels to be allowed in at night, such as with the astronomy club or the paranormal investigation club that existed some years ago," Ikutsuki said almost cheerfully. "Don't worry. Mitsuru told me a little about the operation you would like to pull off so I looked at my schedule ahead of time. I believe we should be able to start it on the eighth."

"That's four days from now…" Akihiko murmured, eyebrows furrowed and clearly worried.

"It's the soonest time I can give you," the chairman said apologetically.

In the end, Mitsuru agreed for them all, assigning the date for their next operation. "Until then, we'll do what we can to prepare as much as possible. Arisato, we'll be counting on you."

Minato nodded absently at that, watching as Ikutsuki excused himself to return to work. Something was niggling away at his mind since the chairman stopped speaking, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Tartarus," he said to the room when Ikutsuki was gone, giving up on the thought for now. "Will everyone be available for some extra training before then? We'll rest the night before, but to be safe…"

"I'm definitely there!" Junpei declared.

"Count me in," Akihiko said. Not that he wasn't usually in the mood to train, but Minato supposed he had even more of a reason to now.

"Me, too," was Yukari's input.

Mitsuru only nodded when Minato looked to her.

All agreed, he dismissed himself, standing from his seat at the table and leaving, mind full of what they would have to do to pull off the operation successfully. Tamamo gave no indication that Fuuka was dead, so it would be a race against time to find her in the hour allotted to them. If only it weren't so last minute when they found out, and Ikutsuki had a better time to give them. They could certainly try to break in on their own, but with him sounding so reasonable it was unlikely that they would move ahead of the scheduled time unless something dire came up.

Such as that Natsuki girl hearing the Shadow's voice and getting called in…

Minato paused as he stepped onto the third floor, peering down the hallway of doors. Mitsuru had mentioned the girl would be staying at their dorm, under their surveillance to prevent her from being attacked by Shadows. Was she already getting accosted by them, or was it just a waiting game?

He shook his head, forcing himself to continue heading down the stairs and into his room. Confronting the girl wouldn't do any good, for either of them. Not so soon after he'd heard of Fuuka's fate.

" _I knew it,_ " Tamamo murmured when his eyes passed fleetingly over his calendar. " _That son of a bitch._ "

Disturbed at the frighteningly casual way she cursed, Minato was almost too afraid to ask. _What?_

" _The date,_ " she said. " _The operation four days from now is on the full moon._ "

Minato looked at his calendar again, gaze zooming in on the eighth. The niggling feeling from before left as the pieces fell into place, mystery solved. _You think he did it on purpose?_

"' _Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, it's enemy action_ ' _,_ " she recited. " _I'm not entirely sure if he's as aware of the ordeals occurring on the full moon night as you are right now, but I wouldn't be surprised if he at least had some inkling. For all his frivolity, he_ is _a scientist of some form. If he's not sure now, he's probably using this time to determine it. And placing you all in the direct line of fire to deal with it, at the same time._ "

If that were true, it would lend credence to Tamamo's warning about Ikutsuki so many weeks ago. While there was some merit to the idea of waiting, allowing them to prepare themselves accordingly for the day in question, Minato could not bring himself to condone it. If he himself had not known of the ordeals ahead of time, he would only be preparing SEES to rescue Fuuka and not deal with any strong Shadows entirely on top of that. And to endanger Fuuka's life by making her wait several more days on top of her rescue playing second to the defeat of said Shadows?

It wasn't right.

Minato eyed his calendar and the full moon symbol sitting innocently on the page, frowning.

Four days.


	14. Obligatory Tartarus Sequence

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Fourteen  
**

* * *

In the following two nights of training, Tartarus found a SEES full of newfound determination and willpower. Minato ran alongside his classmates and colleagues, leading them through the halls and tearing through whatever Shadows they met without mercy. Akihiko and Junpei were just as into it, determinedly keeping up with their field leader with their Personas. Even Yukari, who was still more reserved when it came to fighting Shadows with Io, seemed to be giving her all in the endeavor.

"I don't sense any other Shadows on that floor," Mitsuru's voice reported after Polydeuces finished pulverizing an enemy. "You can continue on."

Minato steadied his breathing, looking at the others as they regathered around him. "Status?"

"Good to go," Akihiko said. He barely looked winded.

"I'll be fine in a bit," was Junpei's reassurance. He was breathing a little hard; Minato observed that Hermes seemed to rely on physical attacks, which sapped away at Junpei's stamina. If it got too bad, they could always recover it through Dia or take a small breather if they managed to find a safe spot. He would be okay.

Yukari nodded, though she looked Junpei over with a critical eye. A medic's gaze, Tamamo told him once. "I'm good."

Nodding, Minato walked to where they'd seen the stairs before, checking around corners just in case a Shadow decided to spawn outside of Mitsuru's surveillance. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Kirijo heiress, but they were quickly getting to the floors that tested her Persona's communicating range. Had it not been for the odd blockade they ran into a good few floors up, they might've left it entirely.

"Um, just wondering, but…" Yukari began, drawing the boys' attention to her as they walked. She fidgeted. "You know that girl staying in the dorm right now… Natsuki? Have any of you tried to talk to her?"

Akihiko hadn't, which, okay, was pretty predictable in Minato's opinion. The guy didn't talk to many people unless it involved training or how to improve said training, so he couldn't see him talking to her.

"I tried," Junpei admitted. When Yukari leveled a flat stare at him, he gave a petulant frown. "Not to hit on her or anything! Er, much, anyway." He rubbed the back of his neck. "Just wanted to see if she was comfortable and stuff. Her friends were attacked by Shadows and all… She seemed really scared."

Yukari's gaze softened. "Yeah… I tried talking to her about Fuuka and she freaked out. She kept asking for forgiveness and how she didn't mean to hurt her. Then, she started talking about her friends that are in the hospital. It was a mess."

Foot-in-mouth syndrome gained another point. Not that he probably wouldn't have done the same thing. He'd thought about going to confront her a few times, if only to satiate his own desire to know why bullies did what they did—or at least this one. Maybe even knock her down a peg by really driving in how endangered Fuuka was now for her actions. But then some sliver of mercy would kick in, or maybe just common sense, and he would back down.

" _Speaking of Natsuki,_ " Tamamo said idly, " _it's occurred to me that she won't be able to resist the Shadows' call, even from the safety of the dorm. If they want her, they will drag her in. Especially now, when she's so vulnerable in her guilt and fear. Shadows are drawn to such negative emotions, and right now she's a veritable wellspring of that._ "

Another complication. Minato voiced her concerns aloud to the others, if not in so many words.

"We have no other choice," Mitsuru informed him through the transceiver. "Taking her with us to Tartarus is not an option—we can't afford to divide our attention to protecting both her and Yamagishi if we manage to find her. The chairman will be at the dorm during the operation, however, and will be aware of her presence. He should hopefully be able to keep her from running into danger."

Hopefully.

Minato resisted the urge to scoff. Ikutsuki could stay conscious during the Dark Hour, but he couldn't even protect himself like they could. Besides, what would he do to stop a teenager from running off when he couldn't even bend the rules a little in order to rescue Fuuka sooner?

Tamamo sighed. " _I'm not saying I agree with all this or that I like it any more than you do, but, sometimes, there's no helping it. You can only do what you can, Minato. You can't… You can't save everyone._ "

Such endings only existed in fairytales, he knew. Children's fairytales, at that. The real myths were much sadder.

But even so…

 _Maybe I can change that,_ he thought. _Like how Kirijo-senpai said in her speech._

A bold new future, built upon the concentrated efforts of individuals working together to better their environment and lives.

He had to have been given his unique power, the Wild Card, for a reason.

Perhaps that could be his reason.

* * *

On the second night of waiting and training, as he waited for the Dark Hour to approach, Minato held a conference with Tamamo regarding the operation to come. As Mitsuru said, they would be counting on him to prepare them as much as possible, so he figured that was a clear a sign as any that he should just pick the mind of his precognitive informant already.

He settled on his bed (in case anyone decided to burst in his room for whatever reason), calmed his thoughts, dove, and—

…And came face to face (well, more like face to chest) with Zouchouten.

Moving back, he sent a dry look to the space behind the Persona where he could just see Tamamo's Gekkoukan uniform hiding behind it. She was snickering. "Really?"

"Yep!" Tamamo leaned around the fierce guardian god, smiling impishly. Minato stilled, but she didn't seem to notice as she moved around the Persona fully to approach him. "You gave a warning this time so I prepared. Did you even see how close you were? If I didn't think fast you would've popped in not even an inch from my fa—"

"What happened to your eye?" the question blurted out before he could stop it.

Tamamo paused, blinking at the non sequitur. Then, realization dawning on her face, she gave a nervous laugh as she shuffled back half a step. "My eye? Ah, well, funny story… um…" He waited, watching as she tried to explain herself, until she eventually gave up. "With all that's happened, I forgot you haven't seen it yet."

"So what happened?" he asked. Ever since she first adopted a human appearance, she'd had bright red eyes. Seeing the sudden change of one turning blue was disconcerting. It wasn't even a natural blue color, by his estimation. It was too bright, like… that boy's?

"It's a side effect of the damage from before," Tamamo finally answered, interrupting his train of thought. "I lost some pieces and when I recovered, it left its own mark." When he remained silent, she edged closer, hands held up in a placating manner. "I know it's a pretty light color, but it's not like I'm blinded or anything! In fact, I haven't felt any real change other than it being aesthetic. I've been feeling just fine! Better, even!"

He sighed.

Her hands fell, posture drooping. "It's true."

Smiling wryly, he said, "I know." And, for once, he lifted his hand to pat her head rather than the other way around. Her hair seemed to be getting longer, too, he noted. It was interesting to see her start to change after years of remaining a static image. Perhaps it reflected that he was steadily changing, too?

Wilted, Tamamo followed him as he made his way across his own mindscape. Zouchouten was dismissed, and Minato strolled along the vast expanse of the area in an aimless manner. "So, you wanted to know about this month's operation?"

"'Two's coincidence and three times is a pattern', right?" he asked, paraphrasing her quote from the other day. "Both full moon nights, a strange Shadow attack happened. I'm gonna guess this one won't be any different."

"No. That, it won't." She tugged on his sleeve to stop him from moving further, constructing a table with two chairs before gesturing for him to sit down in one of them. It wasn't necessary, but he appreciated the gesture and claimed one of the seats anyway. She sat across from him. "There'll be two this time around, if things happen as they should."

He grimaced. That wasn't the best news to hear. Especially with an innocent life on the line.

Tamamo laughed. "It certainly isn't, but I doubt the Shadows care." She focused her gaze on the table, tracing images in the imaginary wood. "Shadows are categorized by the shape of the mask they bear as well as the powers they possess into that of the Major Arcana. The first full moon night, which 'Thanatos' killed for you, was the Magician. The one on the monorail was the Priestess. This next ordeal will pit you against the Empress and Emperor as a pair."

Minato thought. They were certainly in order of the Major Arcana from the bits and pieces he'd looked up since Tamamo told him about their significance to Social Links. He wasn't well-versed by any means, but he thought himself at least vaguely informed about the subject. "How many more of these are there?"

"There are twelve in all," she replied distractedly. Minato realized that her tracing had moved on from meaningless doodles to writing, ink flowing behind her finger and onto the surface of the table. English again. "So eight, when you complete this ordeal."

She was writing a list, going down in a column before returning to the top of the row to cross the first few out. "That's them?"

His Other nodded. "I don't remember the order of what comes after the Empress and Emperor, so you'll have to check them out later. The last one, though…" She tapped the bottom of the list. "That's the Hanged Man. I remember that much."

Minato sat back in his chair, contemplative. "That's a lot." If they all came out only on the full moon nights, that would involve months of work.

"They'll come sooner than you think," Tamamo said mildly. "Now, back to the present matter: Empress and Emperor. I don't know what their arcana means, exactly, but I do know that their battle will test your ability to work with Shadow weaknesses and strengths."

On the table between them, Tamamo laid out a diagram of the different elemental weaknesses Shadows could have along with physical vulnerabilities, printing the words on little square tiles. Agi, Bufu, Garu, Zio, slash, pierce, bash… It all made sense in his head (no pun intended), but seeing it laid out and actually written was somewhat confusing. He wondered where the names came from and how they had all been discovered in order to name them, and why Shadows could resist and be weak to certain types. Then there were the two skills that Tamamo labeled as "instant-kill" strikes, Hama and Mudo—he _really_ wondered about those two and what made them so apparently lethal.

"Just think of it as a game," Tamamo said with a sardonic smile. "But really, I don't know. Now, pay attention. Hama and Mudo are crapshoots normally unless the target is specifically weak to them, so I wouldn't rely on those anyway and especially not in this fight." She moved the respective spell-types to the side, where they popped out of existence. "The Arcana Empress… I'm not entirely certain, but I think she'll be the one to start out weak to physical strikes, but block any magic you throw at her. Whatever the case, the Emperor will be the exact opposite."

She arranged the tiles, dividing them cleanly and putting them under the labels of the respective Shadow.

"You've still got Unicorn, with the spells you introduced to it via fusion and skill card, so that will work," she commented. "Zouchouten's good enough for physical striking if you're not confident with your swordplay yet."

Minato nodded absently, glad he hadn't gone and fused Unicorn into another Persona yet as he had almost done the other night. Then again, most of his Personas had at least one elemental skill in their repertoire anyway. For insurance.

"Don't prolong the fight," Tamamo warned him. "Strike true, but strike swiftly. Don't give them a chance to possibly switch things up on you. Because Shadows will take that chance." The sour look on her face told him that she somehow knew this by experience.

He wondered how.

"Hey, Tamamo?" he asked, reaching out to prod a tile. She gave a small hum in acknowledgment. He looked at her and found her mismatched eyes studying the odd words. "How do you know about Shadows, anyway? And all of… this?"

Her eyebrow quirked. "You want to know that now?"

He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. "I know you said that you know a lot 'things' that I don't… you practically tell the future. I'm just curious."

His Other looked at him appraisingly, the dual colors of her eyes making her scrutiny more intense than usual. After a moment, her stare softened and she looked away. "Maybe I'm an oracle," she joked quietly, before shaking her head. "Or just a girl who had too much time on her hands."

"Who decided to live in my head one day to get me through this mess?" he asked jokingly, but even then, he was fitting the pieces together. Her various slips, the way she worded certain things… like what she'd said just now. "Had" rather than "has". She had been someone before she was with him. But now…

She smiled gently. "Maybe Fate decided you needed me. Who knows?" Her arm lifted, finger poking his forehead. "You're being summoned."

Minato blinked and found himself back in his room. Someone was knocking on his door.

"Minato-kun? Are you awake?" Yukari called through the door. "Mitsuru-senpai's having everyone gather in the lounge. We're about to leave."

Sitting up from his bed, Minato told her that he would be right out. He considered talking further with Tamamo as he stood up, grabbing his sword from where it stood leaning against his shelf, but decided against it. He wanted her to tell him, to confirm his suspicions, but there was something about the quiet way that she dissuaded him from the topic that told him she didn't want to say just yet.

People were entitled to their secrets, he felt. Whether they had a body or lived in one's head.

* * *

How funny, Tamamo thought without any real humor.

It'd been a while since Minato had asked her about what she was, however indirectly. He had done it a lot when he was younger, trying to know more about the mysterious "Other" that lived in his head. She never knew what to tell him, scared that admitting the truth and trying to explain it would freak him out. After all, how could one say that they were dead without it sounding strange? Especially to Minato, who had seen his parents die despite no longer remembering the exact details?

He knew death. Knew that it meant separation. That the people he cared about left him when they died. He had feared her even hinting that she would leave him, and all throughout growing up he told her often how glad he was to have her with him. As if the subsequent guilt-trip his words spawned would keep her anchored to him. If she'd told him that she was already dead, nothing more than a spirit that could fade away at any given moment, what would it have done to him?

She sighed.

No, a lot of it was her own weakness, really. She knew it all logically, within the confines of her own mind, but she didn't want to say it aloud. Words, when spoken, had more weight than they did in her thoughts. If she told him, she would have to face the reality that yes, she was dead.

She accepted it, but that didn't mean that she liked it by any means. Or that she liked being reminded that there was no going back. Nine… ten years was a lot of time to come to terms with it all, but some pains never went away.

…Huh, Tamamo thought as she considered the now empty chair across from her. She could still cry.

Frustrated, she stood, erasing the table and chairs from existence before going to drag a Persona out from its rest. This was no time to be moping around. If Minato was going to go train to keep them both alive, then she would, too. Feelings be damned.

* * *

"Junpei!" Minato called as he feinted a slash, sending a Dancing Hand Shadow skittering back on its fingers. Its head turned when Junpei took the opening, moving behind it with his two-handed sword raised almost over his shoulder. With a deft swing, he smashed the Shadow's damaged mask and it dissipated.

"Ha!" Junpei crowed. "Home run!"

Resisting the urge to smile, Minato looked down into the room ahead where a staircase lay waiting. "Kirijo-senpai, how are the others?"

"Akihiko is currently engaged in battle," Mitsuru reported after a short pause. "Takeba is near him and en route to lend assistance."

He shared a look with Junpei. "Is it bad?"

"I'm fine," Akihiko's voice groused through the transceiver. There were the telltale sounds of combat in the background, albeit muffled. "You guys are near the stairs, right? Just sit tight. Yukari and I will head there soon."

"Or so he says," Mitsuru remarked dryly.

"I'm gonna go check back down this way in case there was something I missed," Junpei informed him when the communication cut. "I kinda just breezed through, so there might be another Shadow there or one of those weird briefcase thingies."

Minato let him go, but fidgeted as he was left to wait. It wasn't often that he told the group to separate, especially seeing as how they all had to be hale and whole for the operation ahead. But they had all been doing rather well in fights together that he felt they could manage somehow on their own. Mitsuru had told him numerous times that she could safely monitor them all through Penthesilea, keeping track of their statuses and informing the others should one of them be in danger. He just didn't like the thought of one of them being cornered and the rest not being able to reach them in time.

Shadows preyed on humans, but they especially didn't seem to like Persona-users. Even more so, Persona-users that trespassed on their nest. Normal humans would become Lost or be put in a coma at the hospital, but the members of SEES were in danger of much worse. Their potential kept them conscious during the Dark Hour, but if they had the misfortune of being knocked unconscious while fighting the Shadows, they were placed at the Shadows' mercy.

And Shadows didn't exactly have mercy programmed into their instincts.

That was why it was much easier, much safer, to traverse Tartarus in a group. Shadows, like animals, were more wary of trying to attack them if they were together. Hostility was definitely shown when they were close in proximity, but SEES didn't have to fear being swarmed when they were together.

And if one of them was knocked unconscious while in the group, it could be counted upon for the others to protect their vulnerable bodies until they could be revived.

Biting his lip, Minato stared down one end of the hallway, where he and Junpei had split up with Akihiko and Yukari at a fork. While his and Junpei's paths had eventually reconnected near the stairs, it appeared that the others' had branched out further. Yukari found an Access Point, though, so if worse came to worst, they could always flee down that way…

He shook his head. Part of being in a group meant trusting the other members to pull through. Minato was a bit of a loner by nature, but living with Tamamo in his head made him aware of at least that fact of socializing. He would trust the others to hold their own or, in Mitsuru's case, keep him informed if the situation went downhill. And if it did, he would act on that same trust to go running to find them, just as they would do for him.

Footsteps sounded down the path he had come from and he watched avidly as Akihiko and Yukari came into view. The gray-haired teen looked a little more rumpled than he had before the team separated, the dark fabric of his pants had the odd dirt mark or two, but no worse for the wear. Yukari was clearly watchful of their surroundings, but she was much less on edge than the first few runs they'd had.

"Where's Junpei?" Akihiko asked as they neared.

"That way." Minato gestured with a tilt of his head. "He should be back soon."

Yukari sighed, taking a seat near where Minato stood, her bow in easy reach beside her. Akihiko joined her, leaning against and sliding down the wall until he hit the floor. "Is it bad that I'm getting used to this?"

"Nah," Akihiko said as he inspected his gloves. "Works out better that way. Otherwise, you'd be making your way to a heart attack."

"Humans are highly adaptable," Minato chimed in.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Why'd I even ask you two…?"

Puzzled, Akihiko asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

She shook her head. "Never mind." Drawing her legs up to her chest, she leaned her chin on her knees and lapsed into silence. It was only a few minutes later when she broke it again, "Hey, Minato-kun, what made you so sure that Fuuka was involved with all of this? I mean, you put in a lot of effort to look into things and you haven't even met her, right? I didn't even think much of it when I heard she was sick… She's always seemed pretty sickly so it just sounded normal."

Minato drew a blank for a moment, trying to gather his answer. He couldn't very well tell them that he had only listened to a hint that the voice in his head told him at first and then ran with it.

…But if he thought about it, it wasn't _just_ following Tamamo's words that had him running all over the place, looking for clues. He had been affected by this case, almost from the very beginning, hadn't he? Since the second time he went to Fuuka Yamagishi's classroom in search of her, only to hear her classmate talk about her in the mocking tones that had filled his childhood.

"I didn't get along with people a lot as a kid because I… liked my space," he began, stumbling over a clumsy replacement for calling himself a loner. "I moved around a lot, too, to live with whatever relative took me in. Other kids made fun of me for that. For being quiet. Different. And being a transfer student didn't really help anything. No one knew me, so it was easy to be overlooked by teachers and other students. Once, I was living with… I think it was my maternal grandfather. It was out in the country so kids got pretty mean. Jealous. I almost got locked in a supply closet in middle school. It didn't happen only because a younger cousin of mine figured out what was going on and caught them before they could try."

He paused, pushing down the terror he remembered feeling when he realized what could have happened. Tamamo's voice comforted him, whispering encouragements. " _It's okay. Let them know you. It'll be all right._ "

"So, I guess you could say I'm a little sensitive to that stuff. Bullying. Cover-ups. When I heard Yamagishi-san was absent and the way some of her classmates talked about her, I guess one of the first things that came to mind was that." He shrugged, looking away so he couldn't see their faces. "I know what it's like to be quiet because no one else will listen. To wonder if anyone would bother to look if I went missing. Before I came here and met you guys, I just sort of… stopped caring. But I never forgot it."

As he finished, his words fading down Tartarus's halls, he ducked his head. He hadn't meant to divulge that much, such as the "supply closet incident", but the words had come pouring out anyway.

And if he were to be honest, it felt… nice to say it aloud. For so long, Minato had had only Tamamo as someone to share things with, but there was little to have to share with someone who lived in his head. But suddenly, with SEES, with whom he already shared the secret of the Dark Hour with, he felt as though he had more.

It was a novel experience, to confide something personal with others outside of his head. Like taking a bit of weight off his shoulders.

Catharsis.

"Wow…" Yukari murmured, blinking in honest surprise at the confession. "That's… Well, I mean, that's horrible, but…"

Akihiko looked at him with quiet appraisal. "Seems like you've gone through a lot, too." He pushed himself to his feet when footsteps sounded down the hall.

Junpei quickly approached the three of them. "Hey! Sorry, turned out there was one little passage I didn't check out earlier, so I went down it to see if there was anything to miss. It was empty, though."

Yukari rose to her feet, patting her skirt of dust. She laughed. "Of course _you'd_ miss an area. Stupei."

"Will you ever quit calling me that?" Junpei grumbled. But he was quick to grin Minato's way. "Seriously, though, man. Sorry for the delay."

Minato shrugged one shoulder. It wasn't a problem. The Dark Hour had barely begun. They still had plenty of time to burn. "Shall we keep going?"

There was an affirmative from his teammates, so he turned to the stairs and started climbing up. He was surprised when they kept closer than usual, walking around and beside him on the wide stairwell rather than trailing behind as before. Junpei even clasped his shoulder, the usual traces of lingering jealousy removed from his friendly expression.

It was… strange.

But not unwelcome.


	15. Best-Laid Plans

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Fifteen  
**

* * *

The day before the eighth, the full moon, SEES took a break to conserve their strength. It didn't feel much like a break seeing as they were all still tensely waiting for the next day to come. The sentiment had certainly been there, but Minato doubted any of them got a good night's sleep when they turned in. If they turned in at all. Even Tamamo pulling him down to sleep did little help, his worries seeping through whatever barrier she tried to cast on his own emotions. It was a restless night and when he woke, he felt no different than if he hadn't slept at all.

The next day, after impatiently waiting for school to end, the three juniors quickly made their way back to the dorm. The chairman was already there, waiting alongside Mitsuru for their arrival. When Akihiko arrived not a few minutes later, the final plans were set.

It was determined that they would send a team in to enter Tartarus the same way that Fuuka had—through the gym. It was unlikely they would be displaced in the exact area that she was at, especially if she moved to evade Shadows, but it was their best chance at finding her. The team, after much debate and arguing, would be the boys. Yukari would remain outside with Mitsuru until Tartarus formed, where she would be on standby to either run in as emergency backup or provide healing when they came down with Fuuka.

On the official side of things, Ikutsuki had gone through the official channels to request time on the campus at night for the club, though it had apparently garnered a few strange looks for the lack of concrete information. After all, SEES, while a school club, did not give out much information as to what they actually did.

Still, being Chairman of the Board had some weight, so he managed to get permission regardless. That the Kirijo heiress, whose family owned the school, backed him probably helped.

"Just don't break anything," he told them with a wide smile, as if he were imparting a funny joke. "It would reflect badly on me as the club advisor for granting this in the first place."

And so they waited until evening, repeating the plans and contingency plans over until they had all but memorized it. Even Junpei. Then, with a reminder to act natural so as not to set off the guards' suspicions, they set out, taking the familiar path to school. They were admitted through the school gates with ease, checking in with the guards currently on shift.

Tamamo murmured something about the Kirijo Group not doing things by halves and how there had to be plants among the guards from the corporation itself to protect the secret that was Tartarus. Minato politely ignored her.

Mitsuru took them to the student council room, where they would wait out the remainder of the time until the boys had to head to the gym. They sat around, chatting idly, while the student council president left to retrieve the key to the gym from the faculty room.

"It's freaky being in the school when it's all quiet like this," Junpei remarked as he watched the sky outside turn steadily darker with the setting of the sun. "Especially after all that talk of ghost stories. I know it's not real, but still."

Yukari shivered. "Don't talk about that stuff now! It gives me the creeps…"

"Come on, cut it out, guys," Akihiko interrupted. The constant bouncing of his leg was the only indication of his own nervous energy. "Keep focused. It won't help anyone, least of all Fuuka, if you start psyching yourselves out now."

Minato kept his head bowed and eyes fixed on the tops of his shoes, concentrated on simply breathing. One hand fiddled with the transceiver in his pocket, not yet pinned on his jacket lapel for fear of it falling out before they even reached the gym and the operation began. Eventually, he forced himself to let go of it so he didn't accidentally press too hard and break it. Instead, he distracted himself with other methods, like fiddling with the hair tie he'd pulled out in annoyance and, after shooting it off somewhere like a rubber band, pulling out the folders he was allowed to work on for the student council. It was more that he was looking over things than working, though. He didn't want to cause a ruckus if he got something wrong with his mind so preoccupied on the fights to come.

"Oh, right, you're part of the student council!" Junpei exclaimed. He appeared to have left his spot by the window to look at what Minato was working on, but moved back when he saw the official headings. He dropped down in a nearby seat. "Is it true you're dating one of the girls? I heard it was that 10th grader, the treasurer… what's her name…?"

Sometimes, Minato wondered at Junpei's one-track mind. Or, well, two-track, if one counted Dark Hour heroics.

" _This time, I don't really blame him,_ " Tamamo said with foxlike glee. " _Chihiro-chan is cute!_ "

 _Then you date her,_ he thought blandly. Chihiro- _chan_? Really?

" _Maybe I will!_ "

Pushing his Other's indignant yipping away, Minato said, "We're not dating. It's more like…" He looked to the side, trying to think of a word. His eyes landed on Akihiko for a moment before returning to his papers. "…therapy."

Junpei blinked. "'Therapy'?"

Minato shrugged. "She has androphobia. Or something like it."

The confused look didn't go away.

He sighed. "Androphobia is a fear of men."

"Oooh." A pause. "So you're… what, trying to cure her of her fear or something? Why you?"

Strangely, there was no jealousy in that last question. He seemed honestly curious. Unfortunately, Minato didn't know why—didn't really pay attention until suddenly he was hanging out with the girl or walking her home. So he shrugged again. "I have a girly face?"

Junpei guffawed. On the other side of the room, Akihiko made a sound like he briefly choked on air while Yukari let out a giggle before politely covering it up.

"… _Actually, that kind of makes sen—_ "

 _Stop right there, Tamamo._

* * *

Mitsuru eventually returned and SEES continued to whittle away their time, chatting sparingly about whatever came to mind or repeating the plan for the umpteenth time. Yukari expressed her worry for Fuuka's wellbeing, wishing that she could tag along with the boys. But Mitsuru denied her, stating that it would be best if she, whose Persona was the most adept at healing out of all of them if one did not count Minato's ability, remained behind. They could not risk her getting attacked on the upper floors and being unable to see to any wounds.

When midnight finally neared, they stood as one.

"Takeba and I will retreat beyond the school gate until Tartarus has fully formed," Mitsuru recited as she and the brunette stood at one end of the hall.

"And we'll go and wait it out in the gym," Akihiko finished. "Be careful, you two. And keep an eye out for that Natsuki girl. Minato's—" At this, Minato blinked. Since when had the senior called him by his given name? "—right. If the Shadows call for her, she might try to come here."

"I'm sure the chairman has things well at hand at the dorm," was Mitsuru's reassurance.

"You guys take care, too," Yukari added, worried.

Junpei gave an easy smile. "Don't sweat it, Yuka-tan! We got this!"

She deadpanned. "Would you please take this seriously, Junpei?" Sighing, she pinned them all with glares even as she and Mitsuru started down the hall. "Honestly! You guys better watch out for each other! Don't let them be idiots, Akihiko-senpai!"

"She really _has_ become a nanny," Junpei muttered, shaking his head.

"I heard that!" Yukari's voice sounded sharply from the other end of the hall.

He jumped. "Yikes!"

Amused, Akihiko tossed the gym door's key lightly in his hand. "All right. Let's get going already. Yamagishi's waiting."

Sobering, the two underclassmen followed his lead, turning to head down the opposite path.

* * *

Staying in the gym at night was arguably worse than staying in the main school building itself. The large space, scarcely lit by the full moon, made the darkness seem endless and every movement the boys made echoed eerily in the nearly hollow building.

Junpei shuddered, taking a seat by the bleachers. "Man… that Fuuka girl had to stick around in this place? Even without Tartarus, that must've been torture."

"Getting bullied is never fun," Minato agreed, eyes trailing along the walls and ceiling. He stood near the center of the gym, trying to compare the image in the dark to what he remembered of it in the daytime. There were usually other sports equipment set up for whatever club was practicing there at the time, such as his kendo club, so seeing it empty made it seem a lot larger.

Akihiko didn't venture far from the door, his eyes glued to his watch. A quick once-over told Minato that he had two Evokers on him. Was one for Fuuka? "Look alive, guys," he announced after a brief silence. "Just one minute more to midnight."

Junpei jumped to his feet, hauling his sword up with him. He shook out his shoulders and arms. Minato took a few steps forward, eyes glued to the small windows that allowed light into the gymnasium. As he mentally counted down the seconds (he was a couple off), in the space of a single blink of his eyes, the sky went from blue to green.

Then the rumbling began.

The floor segmented and Minato struggled to stay upright when it lurched beneath him, jolting upward and separating him from Akihiko and Junpei with a quickly growing rift. He heard Junpei curse, yelling out in his own shock when their platform began rising and separating as well. Scrambling forward, he got as close as he dared to the edge and looked over it to ascertain his teammates' safety.

"Don't move!" Akihiko warned, shouting across the distance. He was crouched down with one hand planted on the floor as if to stabilize himself. "Just wait until Tartarus is done forming! We'll have to find each other later!"

"You guys better not die!" Junpei hollered just as Minato's section violently shifted upwards, knocking him onto his back. When he pushed himself up, he watched as a wall locked in place, covering the opening. There wasn't any warning when the floor gave another jerk, and he barely had time to brace himself when—

* * *

" _Minato… Minato, wake up._ "

"Ugh…" was his eloquent response.

Tamamo let out an amused huff. " _I'm sorry, I don't speak caveman. C'mon, you have more important things to do than nap on the ground right now._ "

Minato didn't want to move. His body felt sore, like what he imagined he would feel like if he had been tossed in a blender and then spat out again. Why was he so sore?

" _Tartarus gave you a beating,_ " Tamamo replied. " _Now seriously, get up. I don't have any proper sensing skills so you might get eaten by a Shadow at any moment. Given that they only eat brains, I don't fancy getting chewed up along with you._ "

Wait… what? Tartarus? Shadows?

Minato blinked his eyes open and found himself staring at walls that definitely did not belong to his bedroom. He shot up, ignoring the flash of pain in his body at the action, memories swiftly returning as his blood rushed to his head.

"That's right," he mumbled, rising to his feet. "It's the full moon. We're here to rescue Fuuka. We went into the gym and Tartarus formed around us…"

"Oh good, you're both all right," said a voice from behind him. Minato whirled around only to find the boy in striped pajamas standing innocently in the middle of the hall. The boy merely smiled in the face of Minato's shock. "Did I scare you? I was waiting for you to wake up."

" _That wasn't very nice, Pharos,_ " Tamamo said, and Minato wondered why he never thought of the two conversing before that moment. Because of course they would.

The boy tilted his head to the side. "Pharos…?"

Something that felt suspiciously like embarrassment and panic flared up from Tamamo's corner. " _Shoot! That wasn't—I mean… oops._ "

The boy seemed bemused for a moment, but then appeared to move past it. "You should get going. As she's mentioned, there is more than one ordeal you must face tonight." He smiled, and if he had been any other child, Minato would have described it as angelic. "Besides, there's someone waiting for you. You guys will need her."

Minato started. "You mean Fuuka Yamagishi?" So she was alive?

The mysterious boy only tipped his head in response. "I'll visit you again."

With that unhelpful farewell, the boy faded, leaving Minato stranded in a corridor on an unknown floor of Tartarus. Sighing, Minato clicked on his transceiver, hoping to get a signal and connect with the rest of SEES. Unfortunately, he was apparently outside of the service area.

Mitsuru's disjointed message only punctuated the fact that he was on his own. "…distance… too far… can't provi—back up… separ—from Akihi…"

The sound then cut out, leaving only a static silence.

"First tales of a vengeful ghost, then the group gets separated…" Minato recounted. "This is usually when the serial killer starts murdering people one by one, right?"

" _Usually, but in this case you've got a lot worse than a serial killer to worry about,_ " Tamamo quipped. " _Remember, two Shadows, so it's best not to waste time. Akihiko and Junpei should be several floors above your location… er, hopefully, at any rate._ "

"What about Fuuka?" he asked as he started moving. _Stairs, stairs, wherefore art thou, stairs?_

" _She'll find you,_ " she replied. Then, amused, she asked, " _You do know 'wherefore' means 'why', right?_ "

"Whatever," he muttered. A streak of triumph ran through him when he located the room with the stairs and he quickly ran up it. As he got to the top, reaching another floor, his transceiver sounded with more garbled words. He quickly decided he would simply ignore it; he was clearly out of range, so trying to determine what was being said would take more time and effort than he had available.

He took a few steps forward, intent on acting on his decision, when a voice spoke up, clear and sounding like it was right at his ear, "Who's there…? Are you human?"

It took Minato a few seconds to realize that it had sounded directly in his head. Stunned, he shuffled back so he wasn't in immediate view of the hallway in case any Shadows happened to pass by. "Tamamo? Was that—?"

" _Fuuka,_ " his Other confirmed. " _Her Persona's specialty is that of communication. Hence, telepathy._ "

Starting his search for his comrades again, he couldn't help but wonder, "Geez, how many voices am I going to have in my head by the end of this year?" And then, because telepathy was a new thing they'd never discussed before, "Can she hear you, too?"

Tamamo hummed. " _Not sure. I don't think she's fully aware of her ability, so she's probably not listening for any voices in return._ " Despite her supposed indifference, Minato could feel that she was curious as well. Maybe even a little excited at the thought. " _I suppose we'll find out eventually._ "

Nodding, Minato hurried through the halls, intent on regrouping as quickly as possible so they could all just get this night over with.

* * *

Two floors up, with Fuuka's voice calling out every so often, Minato finally found Junpei and Akihiko. He actually heard their footsteps echoing along the halls, following them until he got close enough to call their names.

"There you are!" Junpei exclaimed, running over. "Man, we were worried. We met up pretty easy, so when you didn't show up…"

Akihiko nodded, frowning. "We probably shouldn't enter Tartarus this way again. There's too much we still don't know about it to make it safe."

"We had a reason this time, but I agree," Minato murmured. "Any sign of Yamagishi-san?"

Junpei shook his head. "Nope. But there was this voice I kept hearing… Senpai said he heard it when we met up, too. But you know, it sounded kinda like—"

"Who is this?" Fuuka's voice called, only Minato noticed this time that it was not directly in his head. "Are you human?"

"Like that!" Junpei jumped. "Wait, but that time it sounded like it came from behind us…?"

Collectively, they turned. It took a few moments, but eventually a girl their age peeked out from around a corner, her teal-blue hair standing out against the dark colors of Tartarus's walls. She appeared startled when she saw them looking at her and froze where she was, small and uncertain.

Akihiko turned fully, but slowly, as if not to scare her off. "Are you Fuuka Yamagishi?"

The mention of her name caught her and she quickly pulled around the corner, running over to them. Up close, she seemed even smaller. With her short hair and pale skin, she was positively doll-like.

"Wow, you're alive! That's awesome!" Junpei breathed, ecstatic and disbelieving all at once. Then, he seemed to grab hold of himself, straightening and flashing a charming grin. "Never fear, Junpei's—"

"I'm glad you're all right," Akihiko said, speaking over him and ignoring the indignant yelp he gave at being interrupted. "Come with us. We're here to get you out."

An expression of pure relief spread over Fuuka's face even as she wobbled, her legs giving out on her after possibly hours of being on the move. "Thank you so much… I…"

Junpei, ever the flirt but ultimately the nice guy, moved to keep her from keeling over. Minato sent Akihiko a look before following, kneeling down to assess her health. To the side, he heard Akihiko trying to contact Mitsuru and Yukari on the transceiver.

Fuuka, dazed, sent him an utterly bewildered look. "Where are we?" she asked. "I… I know that I was at school, but then…"

Minato gave a quiet scoff even as Junpei promised they would explain. "At school", she said. In the middle of the night. They knew the story, but if they'd just found her there, she probably wouldn't have said anything about the bullying.

" _It might be the Dark Hour addling her mind,_ " Tamamo suggested. " _Unless she's the type to stay up late often, I doubt she's experienced it much. And given that she might've been living through the Dark Hour nonstop while trapped in here, she must be really tired, too._ "

"Are you hurt?" Minato asked instead of dwelling on the matter. He had Unicorn ready (or so Tamamo said) to summon, having prepared for the imminent Shadow battle to come ahead of time.

"Ah, right! Are you okay? Did you run into any monsters?" Junpei questioned worriedly.

Fuuka looked between them, surprise etched on her face. "So, there _are_ strange creatures in here, then…" She shook her head. "I've managed to avoid them so far."

As Akihiko and Junpei expressed their shock, Minato stood, pulling out his Evoker as Fuuka explained. Her voice faltered when she saw him point it at his head. "W—What are you…?" She flinched when he pulled the trigger, but the horror that was just beginning to show faded into wonder when Unicorn sprung into being at his side.

The mythic beast whinnied at Minato's nod, the soothing light of a Dia spell washing over Fuuka. She wasn't injured, so it was mostly for the stamina drain and minor aches and pains the Dark Hour must have inflicted. Then, leading the Persona over, Minato held out a hand to help her up.

"We should return to the entrance," he said as Fuuka rose. He nudged her over to Unicorn's side, which lowered itself so she could sit. "The sooner, the better."

"That reminds me," Akihiko murmured, stepping up. He pulled out the second Evoker he'd been carrying, handing it over to the teal-haired girl. When she stiffened in alarm, he was quick to reassure her. "It's not really a gun. It's like what he used." He gestured to Minato. "Just think of it as a lucky charm."

Fuuka held tight to the device, looking between it and Minato and moving only when Minato instructed her to hold onto Unicorn's mane. After making sure the other two were ready, Minato led the group on, but not before telling Junpei to stick close to his Persona and Fuuka.

"I don't want to push her since she's probably feeling weak from all this," he said, "but if we get attacked looking for an Access Point, I might have to switch Personas. Unicorn will disappear in that case, so we'll need you to defend her." Then, because it still made him uncomfortable giving orders outright, he asked, "Is that okay?"

Junpei only grinned. "Protecting the fair lady? I'm your man!"

* * *

The three boys fell into the routine of running through Tartarus's halls, searching for an Access Point to return them to the entrance. But they were noticeably tenser than usual, eyes alert and ready to move in order to protect their charge. It was as they were running that they came across one of the sparse windows of Tartarus, the wide open space prominently displaying the enormous yellow moon for all to see.

Junpei slowed, gaping at the sight. "Check out the moon! I've never seen it so bright!"

Minato clicked his tongue and Junpei slowly tore himself away from the window, running with them. "It's full. The moon always seems larger during the Dark Hour, so that's understandable."

"Huh." The other junior looked back over his shoulder to catch a final glimpse of the window. "Hey, wasn't it a full moon the night we went to the monorail? I remember it being pretty bright then, too."

Glancing over to his teammates, Minato wondered if they would realize the pattern as well. "It was."

They went down a hall. He recognized the signs of a dead end, but prayed that this one would have the Access Point they were looking for.

Beside him, Akihiko looked thoughtful even as he ran. "A full moon, huh?"

"Hey! I recognize that glow!" Junpei cried out over him. "That's the Access Point! Finally!"

True enough, a familiar green light seemed to emit from around the corner. Picking up the pace, Minato stopped Unicorn carrying Fuuka before it. He nodded to Junpei to help the girl down from its back, turning to Akihiko as the other boy did so.

"Senpai, you go first. Junpei will come next with Yamagishi-san. I'll make sure they get through since my Persona's out already… we haven't run into any Shadows yet, but who knows if anything followed us," he directed before adding, "Be careful."

Akihiko quirked a brow. "Your intuition at work again, Minato?" He smirked when Minato deadpanned at him. "Gotcha, 'Leader'." Then, without another word, the boxer readjusted the grips of his gloves before striding through.

Minato waited a few moments to ensure the boxer had time to step away from the connecting point in the lobby before gesturing for Junpei to follow with Fuuka. He led her gently, close enough without touching to keep her from falling and belying his normal perverted nature. Minato watched them go, eyes slipping back to the halls on watch for straggling Shadows. It was only a few seconds after they were through that he dismissed Unicorn, unsure of whether the Persona could use the Access Point as he did, and followed after them.

With a deep breath to calm his nerves, he stepped through. The familiar rippling sensation enveloped him, like walking through water, and he stepped forward again and again until he met no resistance. The lobby of Tartarus met his eyes.

And Yukari's scream met his ears. "Minato-kun! Duck!"

Knees buckling automatically in response, Minato dropped to the ground just as something whizzed over his head, hitting the wall with a crash. When he looked over, he saw it was the strange bike that Mitsuru owned, completely totaled. He turned the other way and found two lumbering giants of Shadows, one distinctly round and feminine while the other was stout and masculine, with the members of SEES scattered about their feet.

"Nothing's working!" Yukari cried. She appeared beaten and battered. Io floated beside her, but the main body of the Persona, too, drooped with exhaustion, static sparking over her dark skin.

"Keep calm, Takeba!" Mitsuru commanded. She stood tall, rapier in hand, but frustration was clear on her face. "Panicking will help no one!"

Minato took in the scene quickly, finding that Yukari, Mitsuru, and Akihiko had taken to cornering the enemies. Junpei, on the other hand, took Fuuka to the side of the stairs, crouching down with her to keep her from sight. He was not unprepared to fight, however, if the way Hermes was now out and hovering behind them was any indication. He refrained from sighing in relief at the sight, glad that the other boy took charge of her safety. With a nod to Junpei, acknowledging that he had things handled, he readied his sword and joined the fray.

"What happened?" he asked, intent on knowing exactly what they were dealing with. "Where did these things come from?"

It was Mitsuru who answered, "From the outside. Takeba and I were working on establishing communication with you all when they appeared without warning. They headed straight here and entered through the doorway while we were trying to warn you. We managed to hold them off until Akihiko stepped through the Access Point, indicating your arrival, but not without injury."

The Kirijo heiress sent a pointed look to Yukari, who by this point had nearly bent over double in pain. Io was gone, though whether the brunette had dismissed the Persona herself or if her concentration had simply cut the link between the two was uncertain.

Keeping his eyes on the two Shadows, tensing when they struck out at Akihiko and Polydeuces, Minato said, "Yukari, get back."

In the corner of his vision, he saw her head snap up. "Huh?"

"Get back," he repeated. The rotund, vaguely feminine Arcana Empress Shadow craned its neck, looking their way. Minato pulled out his Evoker, lifting it to his head.

Yukari refused. "No way! I can still—Eek!"

Pulling the trigger, Minato summoned Unicorn back into the physical plane before jumping, shoving Yukari out of the way of the Shadow's attack. The thin scepter it wielded struck the ground where Yukari had been standing, leaving an ominous crack in the floor. Without an audible command, Unicorn struck back at it with a Zio spell and, though it did no clear damage, it was enough to take the Shadow's attention from them.

Yukari swallowed audibly, legs threatening to give out on her. Minato reached, gripping her cardigan to keep her steady. "Get back. Got it."

"Yamagishi-san's behind the stairs. Junpei's looking after her," he informed her. "Stay back with Yamagishi-san and send Junpei in."

She nodded and limped back as quickly as her body would allow. Barely any time passed before Junpei was jumping over the stairs, one hand keeping his hat on his head while the other held his sword. He took Yukari's former place, eyes shooting a quick look Minato's way as he took his usual combative stance.

"So what's the plan?" he asked.

Minato eyed Mitsuru and Akihiko where they were a little ways away from them. Though their elders were careful not to take their eyes off their opponents, a slow nod told him that they were listening as well. Mind working quickly, he brought up the things Tamamo had told him before the fight.

Affinities. This was to be a battle of affinities and weaknesses.

And, judging by what he saw of Unicorn's attack earlier, the Empress, at least, was immune to spells.

"One at a time," Minato said, pointing to the Arcana Empress. "Focus on that one first. It doesn't seem to be affected by spells, so knock it with physical strikes. If the other Shadow interferes, try using spells on it."

Decision made, they flew into action. Minato hung a little back, keeping his eyes on the Arcana Emperor, which lumbered slowly and stiffly as SEES rushed its counterpart. Its slow movements made it easy to dodge around it, which the others were quick to do as they bombarded the Arcana Empress with swift attacks.

The large Shadow shrieked in response, lifting its scepter high. A pulse emitted from the round orb on top, gathering energy before releasing it in a torrent of wind. It struck, blasting the various SEES members back several steps.

" _That was stronger than other spells you've been hit by,_ " Tamamo noted, voice grim _._ Minato had to strain to hear her, fighting through the haze of pain that immediately followed the attack. " _That one had a reaction with my barrier. Magarula, I think it was._ "

Damn. If Yukari hadn't been weakened, it would have been better to keep her in the fight.

There was no time for Minato to dwell on that, as the Arcana Emperor's attention focused on him. It moved forward, short legs carrying it the distance while its gangly arms lifted the short sword in its grasp. The sword slashed downward and Minato moved to the side to avoid it. Calling Unicorn, he watched as a bolt of lightning struck the Shadow down, temporarily bringing it to its knees. He struck it again for good measure.

Then, he joined the others against the Arcana Empress. He refrained from switching out Unicorn for Zouchouten, as he knew the latter had a weakness to wind. Instead, he put his kendo practice to good use.

Slashing at the Shadow, Minato noticed Mitsuru back away, rapier in hand. Her head was tilted up as she observed the effeminate Shadow. Her Persona, the dual-wielding Penthesilea, was hovering before her with its own helmeted face directed their current opponent's way.

"It's weakening!" Mitsuru announced just as the Arcana Empress began to slump. "One strong attack should do it!"

"Junpei! With me!" Akihiko called. Polydeuces loomed over him from behind.

"All right, Senpai!" Junpei gave an eager laugh, running over with Hermes following swiftly behind. Shoulder to shoulder, Junpei pumped his fist in the air, goading their Personas forward. "We've got this! You're going down!"

Polydeuces shot forward, arm pulled back while Hermes spiraled upwards. Like a freight train, Akihiko's Persona rammed its needle-like arm into the Shadow's overextended gut, knocking it flat onto its back. The weakened Shadow struggled to right itself, rolling both ways to return to its small feet, but Hermes descended—death from above—slicing through its elegant mask.

With a dying cry, the Shadow dispersed, leaving the Arcana Emperor as their only target.

"F—Fuuka…" a familiar voice called from behind them.

Junpei whirled around. "Hey! Isn't that—!?"

Akihiko cursed. "Why the hell is _she_ here!?"

And that was when things went wrong.


	16. The Navigator's Awakening

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Sixteen  
**

* * *

Natsuki Moriyama staggered into the lobby of Tartarus, an empty expression on her face. Dazedly, she looked around, eyes unseeing.

"Fuuka…" she said again. She sounded as if she were in a trance.

"The Shadows must have called her here!" Mitsuru stated. The furrow in her brow got deeper. "Where is the chairman? He was supposed to look after her!"

Akihiko turned back, furious. "There's no time to think about stuff like that, Mitsuru! Just focus on—dammit!"

The Arcana Emperor rushed forward as if possessed, moving with renewed speed. It uttered a low, warbling sound even as Polydeuces and Hermes flew forward to stop it in its path. With a swing of its sword, it knocked them away before resuming its course towards Natsuki, who fell to her knees.

On the other side of the room, Fuuka stood up, surprise clear on her face. "Moriyama-san?"

"Wait, Fuuka, don't…!" Yukari tried to grab hold of the girl, but she brushed away her efforts and ran to where Natsuki had fallen.

"Wait!" Akihiko shouted. "What are you doing!?"

With a thought, Minato dismissed Unicorn and brought up Zouchouten. Hurriedly, he used the Evoker and sent the Persona into the suddenly rampaging Shadow's path. It was immune to physical strikes, but at least Zouchouten was capable of more than that thanks to fusion, on top of being slightly resistant itself.

"Agi," he murmured, and his Persona followed through with a blast of fire.

The Shadow stumbled back, and his teammates were quick to follow with a slew of their own elemental attacks. Mitsuru, he noted for the first time, was capable of producing ice.

"Please, get out of here!" Fuuka was pleading her classmate behind him. "It's dangerous!"

Natsuki refused. "I… I wanted to tell you… I'm sorry…"

The Arcana Emperor roared, lashing out with its sword and sending Zouchouten flying back and Minato staggering. Then, with a dark laugh, it spun the blade clockwise in its hands and was doused in an orb of light.

Tamamo cursed. " _That's not good!_ "

 _What was that?_ Minato asked, calling Zouchouten back to his side just in case.

" _Paradigm Shift! I've never seen it used before, so I don't know what weaknesses or strengths it has now!_ "

Minato watched as the next few spells that hit the Shadow did no harm. Neither did the physical skills that Junpei and Akihiko followed up with.

The Shadow bellowed, resuming its single-minded course to Natsuki as SEES did its best to try and slow it down. Minato ran to insert himself in its path, Zouchouten flying up in front of him. The warrior held up both its hands to stop the Shadow in its tracks, but the Shadow pushed onward, grunting as it hit the grounded Persona. Over his shoulder, Minato shouted, "Get out of the way!"

But Natsuki was frozen, mind still trapped in the Shadow-induced trance. Beside her, Fuuka stood up. She looked down at the Evoker she held, clutched in her hands since Akihiko had handed it over.

Natsuki looked up at her movement, awareness returning. Her eyes widened when she saw the Shadow draw its sword back and knock Zouchouten away. Minato followed, flung to the side and coughing as the attack ricocheted back to his mind. He looked up with bleary eyes as the Arcana Emperor trudged closer, every attack drawn on it by their Personas bouncing harmlessly off of its form. When it loomed over her, sword arm raised high over its head, Natsuki curled up, screaming.

It was then that Fuuka moved and Minato watched, with no little amazement, as she fearlessly lifted the Evoker to her head and pulled the trigger. The pale blue light of summoning enveloped her and Natsuki beside her, and a large figure phased into existence. But unlike the Personas that the other members of SEES had, that appeared next to their users, Fuuka's Persona formed on top of her, encasing her in a transparent sphere that comprised the Persona's lower body.

The Arcana Emperor's sword swung down only to bounce violently off the sphere. The repelling force was enough to make the Shadow topple backwards.

Within the sphere, Minato saw Fuuka open her eyes. She was momentarily stunned when she saw what was around her, but then her gaze swept forward, locking onto the Shadow. "I… I can see…" Her voice was little more than a murmur, but Minato heard it clearly in his head as he pushed himself up. "I can sense this monster's weakness, somehow…"

Junpei gaped. "For real!?"

"Just as I thought," Akihiko murmured. "Mitsuru, I think she can take your place."

The red-haired president nodded. "I understand. Yamagishi, will you assist us?"

Within her Persona (" _Lucia,_ " Tamamo whispered), Fuuka nodded. A spark of determination glimmered in her eyes. "I'll do my best!"

Minato glanced back. The Shadow was getting up. Steadying his sword, he inclined his head to Fuuka. "Whenever you're ready, try to scan this thing. We need to know its new weakness." Then, to the others, he said, "Try to find a weak point, but don't compromise yourself."

As if to spite them, or perhaps understanding their intentions somehow, the Shadow twirled its sword again, emitting the same light. Paradigm Shift. Whatever they'd known from the last slew of attacks was rendered useless again.

"This guy really doesn't play fair!" Akihiko growled.

"Maybe he's pissed we killed his girlfriend," Junpei snarked.

Behind them, a wave of power emitted from Fuuka and her Persona. "This monster… It feels like a wavering flame inside… Its weakness is wind!"

"Oh, come on!" Yukari cried out off to the side.

Minato concurred. They had to end this quickly.

With hurried movements, he switched Personas once more, pulling Zouchouten from the battlefield and sending out Unicorn in his place. The beast belled out a challenge, rising onto its hind legs. Like the Arcana Empress's scepter, power gathered on the tip of its horn before blasting forward. It knocked the Shadow off its feet. Not wanting to give an inch and grant it the chance to Paradigm Shift again, Minato held his ground and commanded his Persona to use the spell again. And again. And again.

It was only when he began to stagger that he sent his Persona forward, the Shadow feebly trying to rise to its feet after the onslaught. Unicorn leapt onto the Shadow's upper body and directed its horn straight onto its mask. With a final Garu spell, it delivered the final blow.

Minato sank to one knee, breathing hard, head aching. He waved off the others when they came close, directing them to Fuuka. "I'm fine. Just… exhausted."

Assured, Mitsuru and Akihiko went to Fuuka, who apparently released her own Persona and collapsed as well. Natsuki's apologies and sobs reached his ears, though they sounded muffled, blocked by the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears.

A pair of footsteps drew close and he looked up to see Junpei standing over him, returned to his usual casual stance with one hand in his pocket. "Nice job, Leader," the other boy said with a lazy grin as he crouched down to his level. "Looks like you need to work on the execution, though. You look wiped out!"

"I am," Minato admitted. An earlier conversation came to mind and he couldn't resist the smile that made its way onto his face. "Any chance of you dragging me back to the dorm?"

Junpei apparently remembered the conversation as well, for his grin widened in response. "Weeeeell…" he drawled, feigning a thoughtful pose. Minato gave him a weak punch to his shoulder and he laughed. "Yeah, sure. C'mon, gimme your arm."

As he was dragged to his feet, the other members of SEES pulled up beside them. Akihiko carried Fuuka on his back while Mitsuru escorted the worse-for-wear Yukari and distraught Natsuki. With a nod, they headed out, triumphant.

Minato, doing his best to trudge along and not drag Junpei down too much, gave a quiet sigh of relief. _We saved them. We really saved them._

He felt Tamamo smile. " _You guys really did,_ " she said. " _Good job._ "

* * *

It was three days after the rescue operation that Fuuka Yamagishi was deemed recovered enough to leave the hospital's care and SEES reconvened in the command room to discuss her possible recruitment. During the entire meeting, and during the days they were all recovering and waiting for news on her health, Minato watched as Yukari became more and more uncomfortable. He understood her feelings on the matter, but at the same time, the more pragmatic side of him knew that Fuuka would be a great boon to the squad. Not only was her analytic skill with her Persona more on point than Mitsuru's, but her communication range was wider as well. She wasn't limited by the technologies that Mitsuru had relied upon to reach them.

He wondered if it made him a bad person to feel so relieved that she agreed to join SEES, especially given the effort he and the others had put in to rescue her and bring her to safety in the first place. She wouldn't be on the front lines, true, but it was still a risk for her to be in the tower with them rather than safe at home.

Still, Yukari expressed her doubts. "Are you sure?" she pressed. "If you join, you'll have to live here."

Fuuka nodded, undeterred. "That's fine. I'd rather live here than at home anyway."

Something soft appeared in Mitsuru's expression and she dipped her head forward. "We really appreciate this. We'll have the school talk to your parents, to resolve any issues."

"Thank you," said Fuuka, and there was a truly sincere relief in her voice in those two simple words.

"Wait a minute," Yukari protested, though she seemed to realize that she wasn't going to get anywhere as she continued. "Aren't we dragging her into this a bit fast?"

The teal-haired girl looked surprised that she would be so concerned. "It's okay, really!"

Ikutsuki cleared his throat, making both girls sit back, however reluctantly. The chairman looked between them all, ensuring he had their attention, before speaking. As Minato had suspected, Akihiko had brought up the conclusion he'd made in Tartarus about the full moon and the "special Shadows". Considering that each of these odd encounters occurred on a full moon night, they had reason to expect that the next such encounter would end up on the next full moon.

As they were dismissed, Tamamo's presence unfurled in the back of his mind. " _Not going to ask yet?_ "

Minato thought back to the promise they made, about her informing him of the full moon ordeals.

 _No,_ he decided.

" _Why not?_ " she asked, anxious.

 _Because Ikutsuki is up to something,_ he told her, _and I have a feeling that I don't want his attention on me for any reason while he's still plotting it out._

It was a thought that had bugged him throughout the meeting. The man had been too calm while explaining the discovery. And the way his eyes trailed amongst the group… Minato wasn't sure if he had only been imagining it, but he felt as though the gaze had lingered on him for a second longer than it should have. But perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised. The first of the so-called "special Shadows" had apparently shown up on the first full moon that occurred right after his arrival to the dorm. The others, or at least Mitsuru and Akihiko, implied that they'd never seen such strange Shadows outside of Tartarus before then.

He didn't know what Ikutsuki thought, if he was thinking anything at all, but he didn't like the feeling of the weight of his gaze. Maybe it was just because Ikutsuki was a scientist, as Tamamo said once before. But that still didn't make it pleasant to feel like a particularly interesting lab rat.

 _I wonder what he told them about Natsuki leaving under his watch,_ Minato thought idly, trying to rid himself of the sensation of something crawling over his skin. _Or if he even said anything._

Tamamo was quiet. " _…That depends on if they asked him in the first place._ "

* * *

The mysterious boy visited the next night and, strangely, Minato seemed to anticipate his arrival. One moment, he was asleep. The next, he woke up and found the boy phasing into existence before him.

The boy, on his part, appeared pleased that he didn't have to actively wake him this time. "Good evening."

Minato yawned. "Uh huh…" Rubbing his eye, he peered at the boy. "You seem to be coming around more often… I think? Or maybe it just seems that way… What's up?"

"I told you I would visit you again, did I not?" the boy asked, tilting his head to the side. "After your victory on the last ordeal… You've gained a valuable ally, and appear to have grown stronger yourself. Your power has changed quite a bit since you first awakened it. It's very curious…"

Minato considered the boy, but his thoughts were elsewhere. His power was certainly growing still, he knew that, but changed? In what way?

"What do you mean by change?" he decided to ask.

The boy's head tilted to the other side. It was a little funny. "I'm not… sure. The more you use it, the deeper it seems."

"Deeper?"

He nodded. "It echoes, but steadily fills. A well of power. But for what purpose does it fill?" He looked down, head bowed as if to study his striped clothes. "As I said, it's quite curious."

Minato only sighed. "Right…"

"Say…" the boy spoke, looking back up. "If you don't mind, can I be your friend?"

Blinking, his mind still not quite awake, Minato said, "You don't normally ask…" Or, at least, he didn't think anyone did these days. "Friendship just happens."

The boy looked troubled. "Is that so…?"

"Generally." When the boy's expression had yet to fade, Minato gave a small huff of exasperated amusement. "But yeah, we can be friends. It wouldn't be the first time I befriended a person that lives in my head. Hell, my best friend _is_ the person that lives in my head, so it all works out. Somehow."

The boy's smile returned, wider than before. It even felt more genuine. "Then from now on, we'll be friends. Ah… but I would need a name, like how you call her…" He fell silent, a distant look in his blue gaze. "That night… She called me Pharos… Yes, you may call me that if you wish."

Minato nodded slowly. "All right. Pharos."

"It's getting late, so I'll go now," the newly-dubbed Pharos said. He appeared pleased nonetheless. "I'm already looking forward to our next meeting."

Watching as the boy disappeared, Minato flopped back down, arm lifting over his eyes. Then, realizing something strange, he lowered his arm, staring at his ceiling. "Hey, Tamamo?"

" _Yes?_ "

"That was a Social Link, wasn't it?" After making a few acquaintances and being updated on the formation of Links by Tamamo, he had started to get the hang of recognizing them that he no longer needed to be told when it happened. Although each bond was inherently different from the other, based on the person he was getting to know, they had their similarities when Minato felt the thread begin to weave itself into existence. "If that's true, then why don't I have one with you?"

Tamamo hummed. Her voice was rather serious when she spoke, which made her words all the more surprising. " _Maybe you haven't acquired the proper flags for me yet._ "

He snorted, settling back more comfortably in his bed. "I've known you for ten years. How many 'proper flags' could you have?"

" _Hm… perhaps I've just lost count of them, then. Oh well!_ "

"Tamamo…"

Her bright laughter chased him back to sleep.

* * *

Her laughter was just fading when Pharos appeared beside her. Had it not been for an odd sense telling her that he would appear, she would have jumped.

"You gave me a warning," she stated, bemused.

Pharos tilted his head and she wondered briefly if that was his version of a shrug. "You were unaware. It seemed prudent to let you know that I wished to speak with you."

She tipped her head, acknowledging his effort to be polite. Perhaps that was what he did to rouse Minato, who easily slept through most wake-up calls. "What did you need from me, Pharos?"

"He and I have become friends, as you are well aware of," Pharos said, getting straight to the point. He peered up at her. "You both are one person and yet not… Does that mean that we are friends as well?"

Tamamo started at the question, then stared at him uncertainly. She had expected him to want to befriend Minato given that he was his host, but her as well? Or was she reading into it wrong? He was a precocious avatar of Death, and yet that question made him sound like the child he appeared to be.

Awkwardly, she lowered herself down more to his level. "Well… That depends on you, I guess. If you want to be, then we'll be friends. If not, then it's just Minato. I might live in his head, but I'm still my own person. Sort of." She sent him a sad smile. "We all share this space, actually. But I'll give you fair warning that Minato's wellbeing is my first priority."

Pharos reached out, unafraid, touching the space just below her right eye. "You have a strange way of protecting him," he commented. "There are many secrets that veil you."

Tamamo held herself very still even as she admitted, "You're right. But I have no regrets so long as Minato stays alive." Then, gathering her courage, she looked straight into his eyes. "I owe him that much."

* * *

It took Minato several days to notice that Fuuka appeared to want to speak with him. He had been so focused on giving her time and space to acclimatize herself to the dorm and establish a new routine for herself that he didn't see the strange looks that she sent him from time to time. It was only when he decided to check up on her in her class before her first official stint as their navigator in Tartarus that he became aware.

"Ah, Arisato-san," a girl greeted when he walked through the classroom door of 2-E. It was the same girl who'd informed him of Fuuka's absences before. "Thought you gave up. Yamagishi's here today." She looked over her shoulder to where the teal-haired girl sat. Before Minato could protest, she called, "Hey, Yamagishi!"

Fuuka jumped, turning swiftly in her chair. Her wide eyes fell upon her classmate first before moving to Minato. She stood, jostling the desk behind her when her hip bumped into it. With only a small wince, she made her way to where they stood. "A—Arisato-san. Hello. Did you need something…?"

Minato shook his head, though he sighed inwardly when he saw the curious looks of her classmates. "Just checking in. And to remind you that there's club activities coming up." He usually left a note on the dorm bulletin board as a reminder for a Tartarus run a few days ahead, but he was unsure if she would read it. The others did, having seen them before and coming to expect them from their generally quiet "leader".

"Ah, yes, I saw the notice. Thank you for that," she said, bowing slightly. When she straightened, she sent him a strange look, as if she wanted to speak but couldn't find the words. Minato waited her out, and eventually she said, "Actually, about the club, may I ask you something?"

He agreed and was mildly surprised when she led him out of the classroom. They walked down the halls until they were in the empty area by the staircase that led to either the first or third floor.

"Um, Arisato-san, I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but when I, er," Fuuka sent a cautious look down the hall before continuing in a quieter voice, "when I summoned my Persona, I noticed something… strange."

Wary, he asked, "What do you mean by 'strange'?"

Fuuka wrung her hands together. "Please don't be offended, but… I could sense you all in that room. At the time, I didn't really think about it. But even though some of the details are a little fuzzy now, I know that I counted eight people present, including myself. But that didn't make sense, so I thought I was just remembering wrong. There were our senpai, Takeba-san, Iori-san, you, Natsuki-chan, and me… but I know that there was one more presence I felt there."

Minato's pulse quickened. So she really could sense Tamamo?

"I'm sorry. I know this sounds crazy, but it was troubling me and I thought you should know because… Well, because that presence always felt near or on you."

She could.

He almost laughed. But he didn't because that would be rather rude.

"Yamagishi-san," he started. When she flinched, clearly nervous, he did his best to send her a reassuring smile. "I'm not offended. And I don't think it sounds crazy." This time, he was the one to look and make sure they had no eavesdroppers. "Actually, I want to test something. If you don't mind, meet me in the command room after school. You'll understand why then. Maybe."

He waited for her to agree before escorting her back to her class. When he returned to his own right next door, he couldn't help but hope that he made the right choice. But, if she could already sense his Other, then what else could he do?

" _I think it'll be okay,_ " Tamamo assured him. " _She's frail and can't fight, but she agreed to help SEES on its crazy adventures. She's strong in her own way. You can trust her._ "

 _And if she freaks out?_

"… _We'll think of something._ "

* * *

As it turned out, Minato had nothing to fear.

When he met Fuuka after school, she summoned her Persona without fanfare and focused on him. It was a strange feeling, to be analyzed. He felt it like a whisper in the wind, just barely there around him. If he hadn't been looking for it, hadn't been actively expecting the power of her Persona to wash over him, he probably would have never noticed it.

"It's there…" she murmured, voice resonating within his mind. "Yes, that's the presence I sensed along with all of us that night."

Minato smiled, feeling something lighten in his chest. This was the first time someone else had ever acknowledged the existence of his Other without making derogatory statements or dismissing her as part of his imagination. It was like he was finally receiving validation that there was something more about her than a simple voice.

"She," he corrected. When Fuuka blinked at him, he gently elaborated, "'She' is the presence you felt. I wonder, can you hear her? Tamamo, say something."

" _Something,_ " his Other drawled. " _I didn't think you'd actually want to test this. Though I can't deny that it may become useful later on…_ "

"Anything?" he asked.

Fuuka slowly shook her head. "I… There was a little blip of something. Just for an instant, but it was like hearing something from behind a thick wall… I don't think I would've noticed if you hadn't asked me to listen for, um, her."

Tamamo hummed. " _A wall, huh? Let's see…_ " She went quiet for a moment and Minato suspected that she was trying something. Perhaps she thought it was the barrier? That was the first thing he could think of, at least.

Suddenly, Fuuka's shoulders jumped. "I—I think I heard her!" She lowered her head, closing her eyes. "Tamamo-san…?"

Minato stared. And ruthlessly squashed the dismay at being left out of their conversation. He didn't know how it was possible since Tamamo was in his head in the first place, but he wouldn't begrudge her the chance to speak with another for the first time in a decade.

It was a little awkward, though, having to wait in silence for them to stop conversing. He wondered briefly if this was how it was for others when _he_ decided to chat with Tamamo.

"… _now let's see if this works._ " Tamamo's voice returned after a long silence. " _Fuuka, say something._ "

" _Oh! Um… Hello?_ " Fuuka greeted timidly. Because of course. Telepathy was usually expected to take place in the head.

(But why _his_ head, he would likely never know.)

" _It seems that if I want to talk to Fuuka, I have to sort of 'shoot' my voice to her through the barrier,_ " Tamamo explained for his benefit. " _Otherwise she gets the wall effect, even with her ability backing her. And if we want to speak to each other simultaneously like this without one of us playing telephone, I have to make and maintain a connection manually since your mind and hers aren't naturally connected like ours are. So I have to use a different_ Link _to simulate that connection._ "

That… kind of made sense. Or so Minato supposed. He wondered what made it occur to her to even use the Social Links like that, but then again, her time in his head likely made her more aware of how things worked.

"I don't know how to fully control the telepathy that Lucia lets me use just yet, so I can't speak to you or the others directly in your minds like that on my own," Fuuka added aloud. She gave a sheepish shrug. "Tamamo-san said that she can hear what you hear so I don't have to worry about addressing her unless I'm broadcasting to everyone… but she did say she'll try to help me figure out how to contact you individually. Like figuring out certain radio frequencies."

" _We'll probably just use this three-way Link option if there's anything either of you would like to discuss with me and the other at once,_ " Tamamo suggested before he could reply. " _It's kind of a pain to set up and hold, but you never know when it might come in handy._ " She let out a sigh. " _Okay, I'm going to let the connection drop now._ "

"Of course," Fuuka said, a worried furrow to her brow. "I hope it wasn't too draining on her…"

" _Tell her there's nothing to worry about,_ " his Other insisted. " _I just have to work on it to try and make it more efficient. What I did was probably more than I had to._ "

Minato relayed her words and the teal-haired girl nodded, relieved. "I see. That's good." Then, smiling, she said, "Thank you for sharing this with me, Arisato-san. And, um, you as well, Tamamo-san. I can't imagine how hard it must be to… well, tell someone else about having a voice in your head."

"So you don't think I'm crazy? Or that she's some malevolent entity?" he asked, raising a brow and ignoring the light slap Tamamo gave him.

"N—No. I admit I'm curious about how you ended up together like that, but…" Fuuka sent him a strangely searching look. She shook her head. "Tamamo-san doesn't feel like a bad person to me. It's quite obvious that she cares very much about you." She paused. Then laughed.

Minato resisted the urge to laugh with her, because he was certain his Other was scolding her for saying that aloud to him. And he didn't want to direct her embarrassed anger his way. But he had to admit it felt nice to hear that. He was certainly aware of it, but it wasn't often that Tamamo admitted to anything of the sort—or that others noticed it.

"Thanks for hearing us out, then… Fuuka," he said with a barely repressed smile. "And you can call me Minato, if you want. May as well, actually."

Mirth still on her face from whatever Tamamo told her, Fuuka nodded, dismissing Lucia. "All right, Minato-kun. And it was no trouble at all."

* * *

The next time Mitsuru informed them that the chairman called a SEES meeting after school, Minato had a bad feeling.

But first, a fated encounter.

He walked home ahead of his teammates, leaving them to their socializing. He didn't know why he wanted to get to the dorm so early when Ikutsuki would only be getting to them later, but he felt that the longer he stayed out until the time came, he would just be psyching himself out. So, he returned home, intent on maybe trying to relax a little by reading or just listening to music. But when he got to the dorm, he found himself pausing by the entrance, for a peculiar sight was coming his way.

A white Shiba Inu without a collar padded slowly down the sidewalk, strolling casually along. When it got closer, Minato noticed that it had red eyes, bright like Tamamo's. It didn't behave like any stray Minato had seen before, so he couldn't help but move away from the door to watch it.

" _His name's Koromaru,_ " Tamamo supplied, amusement weaving through her voice. " _Koro-chan for short. Why don't you call to him?_ " She snickered before singing, " _I know you want to!_ "

He did want to.

Moving off the front steps to the dorm, Minato walked around and took measured steps to the dog. He watched as his ears twitched, red eyes swiveling his way. Once he had Koromaru's attention, he crouched and held out his hand, palm up. Koromaru padded closer, sniffing the offered hand curiously. Minato grinned when the dog licked his palm and flipped his hand over his muzzle, patting him fondly. Then, smoothing his hand over the canine's head, he scratched just behind the ears and watched, pleased, as Koromaru remained docile.

"Minato-kun?" Fuuka inquired.

Looking over his shoulder, Minato gave a small wave to Fuuka and Yukari, who evidently walked home together, with his free hand before returning his attention to Koromaru. He heard both girls approach and gave a purely mental sigh, patting Koromaru once more before withdrawing his hand.

"Oh, hello, Koro-chan!" Fuuka greeted as she knelt beside Minato. "You're here today, too, huh?" To both Yukari and Minato, she explained, "His name's Koromaru. I've seen him sitting by the steps of the shrine before, but sometimes I've noticed he comes this way."

Minato nodded before standing, leaving the two girls to play with the dog. He could always try looking for him later at the shrine (a little girl he sometimes saw playing alone there looked like she could use the company and petting dogs raised happiness or something, right?). Until then, he at least had a little happy moment before meeting with the chairman.

Even if he could still hear Tamamo giggling in the background.

* * *

Much of what Ikutsuki had to say wasn't anything new to Minato thanks to his debriefing with Tamamo before the last major battle. He knew of the twelve categories (along with their coinciding names of the first twelve arcana, which Ikutsuki neglected to mention). He also knew that the Shadows thus far were arriving in that same order.

It was the delivery of what information he gave them that truly unsettled Minato.

The smiles Minato was used to seeing from the chairman were the small, almost ditzy smiles. Dazed, in a way, like that of the carefree idiot in manga. The type that crinkled the corners of his eyes and left him looking more like an easy-going man than the respectable Chairman of the Board.

The smile Ikutsuki gave as he told the team of "his discoveries" regarding the Shadows had been downright chilling. It stretched too wide across his face, baring his teeth and stopping short of bursting open in mad laughter. And the smile had reached all the way to his eyes, adding a glint there that was more than just mere fascination.

Minato had seen such a smile before. When his grandfather took him and his younger cousin along for his work, he had seen a man smile that way when his grandfather asked too many questions.

"Obsession," his strict grandfather had identified it for him later.

If Minato hadn't been looking for it, he would have dismissed the thought entirely as Ikutsuki being overenthusiastic at the find. It was certainly important to know, giving them information now on not only when to expect the Shadows to come, but their remaining number. But the way his voice had not deviated from its usual cadence made it seem like he was still their utterly normal, defenseless advisor.

Damn, Minato thought. As horribly ignorant and open his pun-loving demeanor appeared, Ikutsuki was _good_ at hiding whatever he wanted to hide.


	17. Other

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : _PotatoMasheesh_ : It's a struggle, that's for sure! But I'm glad the story's still pretty coherent despite that. I probably just jinxed myself, haha.

Fun Fact: When writing/considering Tamamo and Minato's relationship, I often listen to Sia's "Breathe Me".

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Seventeen  
**

* * *

The next night Minato had scheduled for a Tartarus run was meant to be another run for Fuuka to continue getting accustomed to her power and explore it at the same time. As Mitsuru noted, Lucia's observational capabilities greatly eclipsed Penthesilea's own, as Penthesilea was more combat-oriented. Given that even after years of research the Kirijo Group still did not know everything about Personas, this meant that there could be powers Fuuka had that they knew little or nothing about.

Minato had prepared for the day with that knowledge, ready to go on another run through the floors available to them. Which, considering that another section of the tower had unlocked with the defeat of the Arcana Empress and Emperor, was a lot. On the day of, however, he was surprised when Tamamo requested to do a little experimentation of her own.

" _I've been practicing with your Personas on your days off,_ " she informed him. " _Mostly Orpheus, but some of the others were willing to lend a hand, too. I think I might've developed something that can help you in the field, but I haven't exactly tested it out yet…_ "

He paused in surprise. _You're developing combat abilities now?_

" _Sort of? I mean, I tried making some offensive spells based on what the Personas have told me of their powers, but those are still in development. I managed to make a shield, though, which was easier since I've worked with them before._ " She shrugged. " _I can't command your Personas, but I could use them as a conduit while I was working. It gave me a feel for how things were supposed to go. But if you let me try some stuff out, I won't be using them. I want to see how much of that power is mine._ "

Though he didn't exactly understand the method she explained, he agreed, curious to see what she had come up with. Her barrier in his head worked nicely to keep his mind stable, so if she had managed to create something similarly useful that he could use in a fight, he welcomed the chance. And when he told Fuuka of the plan, to warn her in case something went wrong, the teal-haired girl agreed, eager to see what his Other had in mind as well.

So, that night in Tartarus, Minato put a team together (Mitsuru, to get her back into fighting practice, Akihiko, and Junpei) and set off to their current floor of exploration. With Fuuka's guidance, he quickly located a Shadow to exterminate and, with a well-timed slash, got to work.

 _So how will you test it out?_ Minato asked as the Shadow split into four Haughty Maya. He noted one using Zio on Akihiko, who was thankfully resistant, and switched his Persona to Oberon as he waited for Fuuka to give the details of its weaknesses.

" _I honestly have no idea,_ " Tamamo admitted. " _Just focus on doing your part and I'll… do whatever._ "

That wasn't the most comforting thought, but Minato had trusted her with the safety of his mind since he was a child. Leaving his trust in her for this took barely any effort.

Thus, Minato threw himself into the fight, slipping around the blob of a Shadow that targeted him and slashing near its mask. The flesh tore and it warbled out its pain, flailing at him with clawed fingers. Dancing back, he looked up briefly to check on his teammates and, finding them to be doing well enough on their own, returned his attention to his opponent.

Considering his Personas, Minato switched again. The Oberon he fused had been a request of Elizabeth's, so he'd focused more on simply bringing forth the Persona than what he put into it, leading to the fairy king possessing only his basic Zio spells. Since these Shadows used Zio, Minato doubted they would be weak to the same element. With a flash of thought, he brought Fortuna to mind instead, lifting his Evoker and setting her free.

The goddess of luck flew after him as he attacked the Haughty Maya, the wheel of her torso spinning as she sent a block of ice crashing down on the Shadow's body. To his misfortune, the attack seemed to do no better than his earlier one—average, but inefficient. Mouth pressed into a grim line, Minato considered the other two spells in Fortuna's arsenal.

"Try Garu spells!" Fuuka announced, just in time for him to make a decision.

Smirking, Minato directed Fortuna into the next spell and with a sweep of their arms, the Garu hit true. The Shadow dispersed with a low, dying cry.

"Minato, look out!"

Junpei's warning rang loud and clear across the stretch of the hall that had become their battlefield. Minato's attention snapped to the Shadow his friend was facing only to find it turned his way. The familiar pulse of power behind a spell alerted him the split second before it was cast and Minato braced himself as the lightning bolt dropped down from above and struck.

Tamamo hissed.

The surprise of seeing the attack connect but not feel anything was lost as he realized what happened. _What did you do? You've never been affected by spells before!_

" _I miscalculated that a bit,_ " she said. He could feel her grimacing. " _Don't worry. It stings, but I'll survive. Focus on the fight._ "

Gritting his teeth, Minato complied, letting loose a Magaru spell in retaliation. The others expressed their thanks for the help by pummeling the remaining Shadows into oblivion. When they were given the all-clear from Fuuka, Minato went through the motions of checking their health, though in his head he repeated his question, all but demanding an answer.

" _I guess the best way of putting it is that I put a_ little _too much of myself into the shield,_ " Tamamo described. " _Like I said, I don't know how to innately react to things on the field, so a lot of it is guess and check. I threw up a shield to protect you from an attack, but I put too much power into it. And since power here equals that of the mind and spirit… and I'm_ all _mind and spirit… Suffice to say, it protected you because it transferred directly to me._ "

In other words, Minato translated, rather than it being the shield she created that absorbed the attack, it was more like Tamamo had thrown herself in the way instead.

" _Exactly,_ " she agreed.

… _Are you sure you want to do this?_ he asked weakly.

" _Yes!_ " his Other said firmly. " _I finally have the opportunity to do something that can really help. There's no way I'm going to let it pass me by!_ " She nudged at him. " _Now go find another Shadow!_ "

* * *

The next few fights, Minato had to deal with more painful hissing and cries from his Other that put him more and more on edge. But she remained insistent, telling him that she was close to finding the right level of energy to put into the shield. Even when Fuuka started pointedly asking "Are _you guys_ all right?" Tamamo refused to let up, intent on seeing her efforts bear fruit.

Eventually, Tamamo admitted, " _Physical skills tear through too easily still, but… Minato, the next Shadow you come up against, put up a Persona with a weakness to whatever spell it uses._ "

 _Are you sure?_

" _Trust me._ "

He did trust her, however much he regretted it in this particular instance, so when he ran up the next flight of stairs, he had Fuuka pinpoint the next Shadow's location and ran directly to it. It burst into three Killing Hands and, after a reminder from Fuuka telling him their strengths and weaknesses, obligingly made himself vulnerable by calling Pyro Jack to the front of his mind. He only hoped that the Shadows would use their Bufu skills quickly so he could retaliate as soon as Tamamo was finished experimenting.

The first strike was a plain attack, which Minato deftly avoided. He carefully circled the Shadow facing him, resisting the urge to just slash at its mask, which followed his movements with hollow eyes. In the background, he could hear his teammates taking care of their targets, trusting him to take care of his own.

It was a tense wait as both Minato and the Shadow stared one another down, silently goading the other to strike so they could counter. Just as Minato was going to give in and Agilao the damn thing, it moved, noticeably preparing an attack and letting it burst out, targeting the entire team with Mabufu. Junpei yelped when the ice block struck him and Akihiko dodged. Mitsuru clicked her tongue when she was hit, but Penthesilea's natural resistance protected her. Minato braced himself to hear Tamamo in pain, but when the spell passed over him, he was left unscathed, his mind quiet.

He called Pyro Jack to burn the Shadow down, which the Persona did with gusto. _Tamamo?_

Worry spiked when there was still no reaction from his Other. Had she taken too much damage and been knocked out?

 _Tamamo? Tamamo, say something. This isn't funny. I can't dive in right now, you know—_

" _It worked,_ " she interrupted him, awed. " _I blocked it. No damage. Full nullification. No Persona aide or anything. Just me…_ " An elated laugh escaped her. " _Just me! I did that! I protected you!_ "

The battle finished without his knowledge, his teammates gathering around him once more. Minato gave them a cursory glance, then turned to continue on, hiding a tired smile. _Good job. So that's it, right? You got the skill down?_

" _Not quite. I mean, yes, it worked, but I need to practice it. I also want to try to blanket your whole team with it and I think I have an idea as to how—Social Links, basically, kind of like how I can have Fuuka talk directly in your head, but with more work on my part—oh, but maybe I should try to adjust it so it blocks all skills and not just magic…_ "

And on she rambled, ignoring the dread that was clearly filling Minato's body at the thought. If practicing to protect him resulted in injury on her part, then what would protecting the team do to her?

Tamamo's voice quieted at his thoughts, which she clearly heard. Then, very gently, she said, " _Minato… I know this is selfish, but… I want to do this. This is no different than you putting yourself in danger fighting like this. It's my decision, so let me do this. Please._ "

He hated how he couldn't argue against that. It was very much his decision to keep fighting Shadows, despite the pain and injuries it brought him. If it was her decision to make these shields and perfect them, no matter the pain it brought her in the process… who was he to deny her?

…This was going to be a long night, he thought mournfully.

* * *

Minato must have been punishing himself for some future sin, for within the next few days he decided to finally take up the eccentric Elizabeth's request to take her out to see the Iwatodai Station. It wasn't that he disliked her—he just felt that one outing with her drained him of more energy than a group of his schoolmates.

Still, it had been a… funny moment the first time she'd asked to be shown around the real world. Minato had not minded the requests that told him to slay this monster or bring back that odd drink for her. It was something to do and the rewards were often useful, filling up supplies that SEES could use in their fight against the Shadows without dipping into their funds.

(Although, Minato _was_ steadily acquiring a good amount of money just through Tartarus—so much so that he'd actually requested his aunt Sayuri to help him open a bank account as his most recent guardian, citing that he had a part-time job and needed a place to store the extra cash.)

He never thought that the Velvet Room attendant would wish to see the outside world, or use her request list as an incentive to get him to agree to take her. Still, Tamamo urged him to comply, mentioning that the rewards would be useful for Persona creation, which Elizabeth readily agreed with. Thus pressured, he acquiesced, though he asked the cat-eyed blonde to at least limit her visits to one place at a time, with ample space in between each visit. This condition of his was mostly for his own sake so he didn't exhaust himself tagging along and making sure he didn't lose her or anything. But Elizabeth impishly misunderstood, claiming that he wished her to pace herself and to let the excitement build.

Doubting he would ever understand and already regretting his decision, he let her be.

At any rate, at this moment in time, Minato found himself being dragged around Iwatodai Station by the curious Velvet Room resident, ignoring the odd looks passersby were sending them for her unique clothes. Elizabeth herself was ignorant of such looks, intent only on visiting each eatery available. Minato joined her for takoyaki and a burger, but declined to order food at the subsequent restaurants, sticking to soda or water at the most.

It did make him wonder, though, if being a Velvet Room resident meant she had no limit to what she could pack away in her stomach. It also made him slightly nauseous to see someone eat so much food, pretty as she was. But the odd things she spouted in between meals were entertaining, at least.

By the time she was finished sampling the fare and they left the station, it was late afternoon and Minato trailed behind her, wary that she would go dashing off like a cat at the next thing that caught her eye. He'd almost lost track of her once when he was marveling at the speed she'd gone through a beef bowl, skipping out after paying with dizzying speed to the next food place she wanted to try. He had no desire to see Igor displeased for losing his assistant.

They were nearing the Paulownia Mall, close to returning her to the Velvet Room, when she paused. He was forced to stop in his own tracks in order to watch her. Elizabeth looked back at him, gold eyes gleaming. Her playful aura was muted as she took him in and, for the first time since they met, he became aware of how very inhuman she was.

"Your passenger…" she intoned, and his mind instantly sharpened in awareness, "or, how was it that my master addressed her as? Ah yes, your partner… Is she well?"

"…Yes," Minato replied slowly, uncertain. "Why do you ask?"

"She is quite an unusual being, is she not? Straddling the border of the living and the dead, one foot planted firmly on either side," Elizabeth spoke in her usual lyrical tone, though something deeper touched her voice. If Minato thought about it, she almost sounded melancholic. "A child of two worlds, in more ways than one. Behind your eyes, she watches the world go on without her, reminded that she is human and yet not—"

A spike of emotion—pure, unadulterated grief—not his own swept through him and Minato _flinched_. "Please stop talking."

The words left him in a snap, raised higher than he'd meant them to be. Enough to attract the shocked gazes of a couple of housewives gossiping on the sidewalk. Embarrassed, Minato avoided their eyes and muttered an apology to Elizabeth.

"No." Elizabeth shook her head. "It is I who must apologize, honored guest. I did not mean to upset you both, though it is admirable how quickly you jump to her defense… I merely wished to express how eagerly my master and I watch your growth, together and individually."

There was a quiet murmur from Tamamo. Minato sighed. "It's fine. She… apologizes for overreacting."

The Velvet Room attendant only smiled, continuing on once more and leading him through the entrance of the mall. She crossed the main floor without hesitation, passing the fountain, and went into the small alley where the door was located. Minato followed to make sure she went through. But just before she stepped over the threshold, she said to him, "It is quite curious, however, how you have come to depend on one another. Though she is sheltered by your soul and needs your existence in order to live in this reality, you are not bound in the same way she is. In truth, you are only bound by what attachments you set yourself. But for what reason do you hold on to her?"

Minato, who had turned on his heel to leave the alley the moment she opened the door, paused.

"Because she's my Other," he said, answering both everything and nothing at all.

"I see," said Elizabeth. And perhaps she did, for she entered the Velvet Room without further hesitation, a soft click echoing in her wake.

Minato strode away, but only made it as far as the fountain before he sat down, too distracted by the withered presence of his Other. He sighed again, wondering what he could do or say. He was getting better at interacting with people—just the other day, he managed to make Chihiro laugh and Hidetoshi crack a grin despite their tense situations in the student council. But sometimes he still felt very inept, floundering on what was the right thing to say.

" _It's okay,_ " Tamamo muttered, sounding vaguely angry. " _I'm just overly sensitive. I should really be over it by now, you would think._ "

 _If it makes you feel better, this isn't exactly how I wanted my suspicions confirmed,_ Minato offered wryly.

" _I would've told you sooner, but it's not exactly a casual conversation starter. Can you imagine? You're just sitting around eating lunch or something and then, 'So, yeah, I'm actually the soul of a dead girl holed up in your head because the reincarnation cycle disagreed with me'. I can see that going over so well,_ " she mocked. There was the barest trace of amusement preceding the words, however, which was better than nothing in his opinion. " _So? Not going to run screaming for the nearest exorcist?_ "

He snorted. _I don't believe in ghosts._

She poked him. " _Excuse me? What the heck would you call me, then? I'm not some defective Persona, y'know._ "

 _You really have to ask? I just said it earlier,_ he shot back, amused. _You're my Other. That's all I need to know._

There was a short, embarrassed silence.

"… _Aw, how sweet!_ " she eventually cooed, teasing, but underneath her saccharine tone he could sense her honest relief. " _Hey, is there any way you can get some ice cream? Being sad usually calls for that, right? I can't eat it, but I could live it vicariously through you! Please?"_

She was trying to distract him. Trying to pull him away from their earlier topic. He let her. _No way! I'm still stuffed from showing Elizabeth around!_

" _Oh, please! You're too skinny to worry about your girlish figure. Come on, Minatoooo!_ "

They bickered the entire way back to the dorm. And if he got more than a few odd looks for bursting into laughter at random intervals, then, well, nobody had to know.

* * *

The days passed quickly after that unfortunate reveal, but Minato was content in his knowledge that despite what he knew now, things had barely changed for them. Which was a good thing, as he didn't think he could fight a battle on multiple fronts. There was a certain sense of unease stirring in the air of the dorm as the next full moon night grew ever closer. Yukari's numerous suspicions of their upperclassmen and the chairman hiding things from them wore on his mind the more she brought it up, which was often. If he had been part of a conflict with Tamamo on top of that, he might've gone insane from the pressure.

As it was, he was simply trying to make the best of the situation as he could. When Junpei invited him to go hang out rather than return immediately to the dorm, he accepted. Akihiko tagged along and the three went to the local ramen restaurant to eat.

"Man, Hagakure ramen is the best!" Junpei exclaimed, patting his stomach in satisfaction before letting out an incredible belch.

Akihiko shifted away from him, dragging his bowl along with. "That's disgusting, Junpei."

"I give it a seven," proclaimed Minato.

"Wha? Seven? That was at least an eight!" Junpei protested. Then, he shrugged, pushing his mostly empty bowl away to lean on the counter. "Oh, whatever. All I'm saying is that it's nice to just get out and hang like this. Just us guys. Wonder if the girls do the same thing?"

"I dunno," Akihiko said after slurping up some more of his noodles. "Mitsuru's not the 'hanging out' type."

"True, and Yuka-tan's got some serious rivalry with her or something," Junpei remarked, nodding sagely.

The boxer blinked. "What? Rivalry?" He took a moment to soak it in. "…Seriously?"

"Not a rivalry, per se," Minato said, glad that he wasn't the only one to notice Yukari's strange behavior. "But she doesn't trust Kirijo-senpai much, that's for sure."

"Yep," Junpei agreed before shaking his head. "Seriously, Akihiko-senpai. If even our leader's noticed, you've really gotta start paying more attention."

Said leader shot the other teen a flat look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dude, you aren't exactly the most aware guy. It's like all the stuff you do just sorta washes over you."

A beat.

Minato inclined his head. "That's probably true."

Their upperclassman huffed. "I think you guys are just looking too closely into things. It's probably nothing."

"No way, Senpai! Yuka-tan's been acting all weird since we rescued Fuuka. There's definitely something going on there!"

"Just leave it, Junpei…"

Vaguely, Minato reviewed their words and wondered, with no little worry, just when all the tension and suppressed hostility would hit the proverbial fan.

* * *

June 30th. Dark Hour again. Meeting count tally: 4 (or 6, counting the first night and the appearance in Tartarus).

Minato sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he grumbled, "Must you always visit at this time, when I'm sleeping?"

Pharos, perched on his usual spot at the foot of Minato's bed, smiled delicately. "This is the easiest time for me to appear when not in your head with her, and I can only do that sparingly as well."

"Really? Why's that?"

"I'm not sure," Pharos answered easily. "I don't know why, though I might remember." He vanished, reappearing off the bed. "Anyway, I just visited to tell you the same thing as always. There's a full moon arriving in a week, so be careful, okay?"

And then he faded again before Minato could reply. He stared at the spot Pharos had occupied, wondering why he had simply visited for that when there was no need, as Minato was quite aware of the upcoming night of the full moon. He soon shrugged, about to nestle back in his bed to return to sleep when Tamamo poked him.

" _Not yet,_ " she said. He didn't have a chance to be annoyed with her when she continued, " _Come in here._ "

Curious despite his tiredness for it wasn't often that she called him in directly, Minato fell into his mindscape to where Tamamo was. He was met by the sight of what looked like a storybook campsite, three log-like seats situated around a campfire. Combined with the star-like barrier above them and a patch of grass beneath their feet, it was quite picturesque.

Tamamo waved him over to the only unoccupied seat, as the others were occupied by herself and Pharos, who, despite his placid expression, still managed to look quite confused. "We're all friends so I figured we'd have a friendship moment and bond over stories around a campfire."

Rather bemused himself, Minato took a seat. "What kinds of stories? You know all the tales that I do and my life is no secret." He gestured to Pharos with his thumb. "And he doesn't seem to remember much at all to tell us any stories of his own either."

"Which means, by process of elimination, it falls to me to be entertainment," his Other noted. She rolled her heterochromatic eyes. "I figured. But I'm also tired of seeing you both spend not even five minutes together when you're now officially friends, so I'll just grin and bear it. In return, neither of you can complain if my stories are dull."

"What kinds of stories?" Pharos repeated Minato's question, looking intrigued.

"Oh… Just stories about an impossibly boring girl with an impossibly dynamic family," Tamamo said with a shrug. "Okay. Once upon a time, in a world much like this one, there lived a rather large family that, as a whole, embodied the very word their last name translated to in English: life. Now, that's a rather bold claim, but I'll have you know that if they had a family motto, it would've been something cheesy and vague like 'live your life because it's yours, so you ought to own it'. Every day was a celebration of life when they were together; gatherings turned into parties just to give thanks for their own continued livelihood. That was why it came as something of a shock that such a plain child belonged to them. But perhaps she wasn't always so plain, for her mind, if I may say so, was vivid enough on its own…"

It was as she continued on, telling this story of a girl and the people in her life, from her jokester of a father to her strict mother, a perfectionist older sister and an estranged older half-brother, that Minato understood. He listened for as long as he was allowed, never interrupting, as his Other weaved the tale of her first life, reminiscing about the people that had been precious to her before him. Through her words, she painted a picture of the life she had led before she was his Other, giving him a glimpse into her past that had turned her into who she was in the present.

"Well, maybe not entirely," she admitted as she concluded, the story unfinished. "That girl has had at least ten years more to grow mentally. So I suppose who she is at present is different from who she was when that part of her life finished. And she'll probably be even more different at the end. Humans never really stop growing in that sense, I don't think."

"But that would mean that the story never ends, wouldn't it?" Pharos pointed out.

Tamamo stopped, surprised. "…You think so?"

Pharos nodded. "The story you told us revolved around the growth of that girl and the people in her life. If humans really do never stop growing, from one life to the next, then it never ends."

Minato watched as a warm smile tugged on his Other's lips. "When you put it that way, maybe you're right." She laughed. "'From one life to the next'… and to all the people connected to them… Yeah, that sounds about right. It's a tale that keeps on spinning."


	18. With Love, Shirakawa Boulevard

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : _Avatar NIX_ : Funny you should mention the team formation. There's a (very) brief mention of that in this chapter, actually!

 _arcticGlaciologist_ : Well, I wouldn't say "patient" since I'm jumping straight to Shirakawa here, haha! But the wait between these two operations is the least eventful, so to avoid as much unnecessary padding as possible, this chapter jumps straight to it. I considered the idea of adding more Social Link-type scenes in as a sort of balance, but I kind of want to avoid that particular snare of _Persona_ fanfics as much as I can. So, the pacing gets thrown off from time to time like this in order to get back to the important pieces. Hope it doesn't throw you or anyone else off too much, but do let me know so I can work on it!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Eighteen  
**

* * *

The days to the next full moon were counting down and Minato found that he wasn't alone as he waited for the night to finally arrive. Whenever he set foot in the dorm, he was surrounded by the nervous energy that the others helped contribute to, and when he spoke to his teammates, they were always quick to remind him of the impending date. As if he wouldn't remember on his own or something.

" _It's just nerves,_ " Tamamo soothed when his annoyance spiked. He hadn't even gotten two feet into the dorm before Fuuka was telling him to be prepared! " _You're their field leader, so they want to make sure that you're ready to lead them._ "

 _I don't see why no one else can take the reins,_ Minato thought sourly. _Akihiko's been back a while and Mitsuru's a natural leader. Why can't they do it?_

" _Maybe they're just worried that changing it up now will cause an imbalance._ " Tamamo shrugged. " _Besides, like you and the guys mentioned, there's some tension in the air between Yukari and Mitsuru right now. If Mitsuru did take over, how long do you think it would take for Yukari to snap and let loose whatever's been bothering her?_ "

He grimaced. Not long, if he was reading the brunette right. She seemed to have calmed down a bit once July started, making him think that maybe she had pushed aside her thoughts. But up until that point, she had hounded him (and Junpei, if the other teen noticing her odd behavior said anything) about their upperclassmen, Mitsuru especially, keeping secrets from them.

She was biding her time, he felt. Waiting for the right opportunity to reach out and strike at the first weak point available to her.

"… _Minato, she's a teenaged girl, not a snake._ "

 _And her Persona is a girl who was turned into a cow._

" _I…_ " Tamamo trailed off, clearly lost. " _Um. Okay then._ "

Satisfied, Minato retreated to his room, where he proceeded to try to channel Junpei and ignore the atmosphere charging the entire dorm.

Despite his best efforts, he didn't really succeed.

* * *

One day to the full moon, Minato couldn't take it anymore.

It was Monday, so he was distracted at least part of the day by school. Yukari and Junpei were similarly distracted by class (or, in the latter's case, not so much distracted but focused on drowning it out), so there was no worry of feeling the date looming oppressively over their heads. Temporarily, anyway.

During lunch, Minato excused himself to eat lunch on the roof, enjoying the summer breeze and the view of the bay. Fuuka and Natsuki came up partway through the lunch period, but other than a brief greeting left him alone to his thoughts (Natsuki actually seemed rather intimidated by him, which he found vaguely funny). Grateful, he kept his mind on other things and tried not to listen too much to their conversation, even if they did nothing to conceal their words from him.

When school ended, Minato headed over to the Iwatodai Strip Mall, stopping by the Bookworms Used Bookstore. He supposed it was the memories of his childhood that made the quiet little shop so comforting to him. The shop's owners, an elderly couple by the names of Bunkichi and Mitsuko, were so endearing and treated him kindly, almost as though he were one of their own, pressing snacks and tea into his hands before he could even think to refuse. His heart went out to them whenever they shared the story of their deceased son—he supposed it was that mutual loss of family that made him seek out the bookstore from time to time, taking solace in its shelves of books.

"Ah, welcome," Bunkichi greeted, his wife busily straightening out their wares behind him, when he entered the store. The old man blinked behind his glasses as he strode closer to the counter. "Hm? Say, what's your name, son?"

Minato smiled when Mitsuko turned and, upon seeing him, scolded her husband, "That's Minato-chan, dear! Honestly…"

The old man chortled. "Of course, of course. I remember!" He sent Minato a grin that made him look strangely younger. "I was just joking, Minato-chan. Of course I wouldn't forget you."

"I'm glad," Minato said. "How are you, Bunkichi-san? Mitsuko-san? There hasn't been any news on the persimmon tree, I'm afraid, but at least that means any plans to possibly cut it down haven't gone through."

"Oh, thank goodness," Mitsuko said, a withered hand on her chest. "And thank you, Minato-chan, for keeping an ear out for us. We've been doing just fine." She smiled warmly at him. He committed the image to memory, wondering if this was what it was like to have a grandmother. Both of his had died when he was relatively young, so he'd never met them. Mitsuko felt like a grandmother, popped straight out of a storybook.

"So, what are you here for?" Bunkichi asked. "Looking for a specific book?"

"No, not really," Minato replied. He looked at the shelves, filled with used books both old and relatively new. "I just… wanted a place to hang out, that's all. Do you have a shelf for mythology?"

Mitsuko said they did and led him to it, prompting him to ask her or her husband whenever he needed help finding anything else before leaving him to his devices. But even as he stuck around, looking through a few dusty texts, she would always check in on him to see how he was doing, if he found anything he liked, and would he like some tea, maybe?

He didn't think this was quite how store owners and customers should act, but he didn't have the heart to start distancing himself to lay out that line more clearly. He merely declined what he could and bought more books than he knew what to do with. When it came time to clear out his room at the dorm, he would probably have to buy a few boxes more just to hold his growing collection.

At the end of the day, as the elderly couple shooed him out so as not to get caught out when it was dark, Minato returned to the dorm, feeling much better than he had the day before. The air was still crackling with nervous tension when he arrived, but as he breezed past the front doors, he felt at ease.

* * *

The next day, just like when they were preparing to rescue Fuuka, the members of SEES returned straight to the dorm after school in order to be fully rested for the ordeal ahead. Minato traveled back in a group with his fellow juniors, leaving class 2-F and stopping briefly by 2-E so they could grab Fuuka and leave. They shared small conversations on the way back, but they were quick to die. They were all preoccupied thinking of the battle to come.

At the dorm, Minato waited the hours out in his room. He spoke with Tamamo as before, to glean any information he could about the tasks ahead, but found that the details were scarce this time around.

"I don't remember it much," she said, frustration pouring through her voice. "I just know there are two Shadows again, but not both at once. Oh, and it'll be held in a love hotel." She glanced up, and Minato's face must have conveyed his disgust quite well, for she nodded wisely. "Yeah. Be sure to shower when you get back."

He sighed. "If it's really in order, then the next two of the arcana to show will be the Hierophant and the Lovers. Which, if we are going to a love hotel, makes sense." Shuddering, he scowled. "I should've known something was weird when those rumor girls started talking about the Lost showing up in pairs…"

"In some cases it is better to trust your instincts," Tamamo agreed. "Hierophant will be first up, but I don't think the battle will be that hard… You never know of course, but I think you just pummel it down. Try to do it quickly and efficiently, though, since you'll have another battle ahead and you can't be tired for that. As for the Arcana Lovers… um…"

Minato kept quiet as she thought, trying to summon up the memories of her past life. She'd told him in bits and pieces after their little campfire bonding with Pharos that her knowledge of Shadows and the Dark Hour came from fiction. She told him that what Elizabeth had said was not the Velvet Room attendant waxing lyrical about her situation, but basically the plain truth. Her soul was from a different reality than where he was, and the events and information of his life had shown up in a story, of sorts, in hers.

It was both a blessing and a curse, she'd told him, because the story had been rather dense and even after ten years of trying to hold on to them, the memories degraded. She remembered important pieces regarding some things, but the rest had been reduced to some horrible mess.

His Other let out a frustrated sound, arms crossed over her chest. "I can't remember," she bit out, looking as though the admission physically pained her. "You'll get trapped after Hierophant's defeat. You'll have to find a way out and the Shadow will try to trick you. I'll do what I can to keep your mind protected, but after that, I don't remember what else you have to do or if it's just straight back to the fight."

Minato lifted a hand, batting at the pink hair of her ponytail to distract her and noting, with no small amount of surprise, that he was taller than his Other by a good few inches. Strange how he had never realized that before… "That's good enough. I'm sure we can handle whatever else the Shadows might throw our way."

"And I'll help," she muttered, hands raising to stop her hair from swinging. She slapped his hand away when he faked an attempt to swat it again. "Stop it!"

He chuckled, lowering his hand. "I'm sure you will. Just don't throw yourself into it." He sent her a stern glare when she pointedly looked away. "Don't."

She gave him a dull look. "You've gotten a lot bossier. And I'm older than you, you know."

Amused by her sulking, he shrugged. "If you count your time in your reality, maybe. But you were technically reborn here with me, so you're really only as old as I am."

Tamamo snorted. "Your logic is flawed." When he only shrugged again, she pushed his shoulder. "Oh, get going already, would you? Talk with your teammates, make battle plans… I've already given you what little I know, so make the most of it."

Nodding, Minato faded out of his mind and returned to reality, taking in the sight of his room before standing up. It was still late afternoon, early evening, so they wouldn't be gathering in the command room yet. Anyone too restless to stay cooped up in their room would most likely be down in the lounge.

Destination set, he left his room to hunt down his teammates.

* * *

Spending time together and cobbling up some intermediate plans made the time fly by, and soon enough Mitsuru was calling them into the command room. The field operatives made way for Fuuka to pass through first, much to her embarrassment, and they followed quickly after.

With a nod from Mitsuru to get started, Fuuka pulled out her Evoker and summoned Lucia in a corner of the room, and within moments of being encased in her Persona, she set to work. Eyes closed, she was the picture of concentration as she searched for abnormal Shadow signatures outside of Tartarus's walls.

Minato dreaded her announcement, hoping in vain that perhaps Tamamo was wrong about the location.

"I found one," Fuuka announced, eyes blinking open. "It's a strong presence… I believe that's what we're looking for."

"So we were right!" Junpei exclaimed.

Ikutsuki adjusted his glasses on his nose. "Or so it would seem."

After a few moments of pinpoint the presence down, Fuuka gave them the information. "It's located in Iwatodai… inside a building on Shirakawa Boulevard."

Something in Minato cringed at the knowledge, Tamamo's flippant comment to remember to bathe afterwards ringing in his ears. "Shadows have no shame," he muttered under the flow of conversation.

"Why?" Fuuka asked with an inquisitive, and utterly innocent, tilt of her head. "What's on Shirakawa Boulevard? I'm not familiar with that area."

Yukari, at least, looked just as leery as Minato felt. "I've heard about it, but…"

Junpei, on the other hand, was laughing, a wide grin stretching over his face. "That's where all _those_ hotels are. That explains a lot!" He waggled his eyebrows at Fuuka. "You've heard about 'em, right, Fuuka? Where people go to… y'know."

It took a moment to register, but once it did, their navigator flushed bright red.

The chairman chuckled at their antics. "Oh, nonsense. They're no different from ordinary hotels. The rooms are a bit fancier, that's all!"

"What? That's it?" Junpei whined.

Yukari shifted uncomfortably. "I—I don't know about this. Maybe I shouldn't go for this one…"

Shaking his dismay at Ikutsuki's supposed reveal off quickly, Junpei laughed. "Really? You're backing out 'cause of a little love hotel? You're like a little kid, Yuka-tan!"

"What!?" This time, it was Yukari who flushed. Only this one was in anger. "As if you can talk, Stupei!"

"Hey!"

"You know what? Fine!" The brunette stamped her foot. "I'm going. And I'm gonna fight, too!" She planted her hands on her hips in a haughty manner, head tilted so she looked anyone who would dare protest down her nose. "So? Who else is coming?"

The remaining members looked amongst one another. Mitsuru spoke first, "Arisato, as he will be leading this operation as before."

"As before…" Junpei repeated, sullen.

"Otherwise, it will be his call," the student council president finished. "Do you have anyone in mind?"

It had been an early rule of the squad's that not everyone was allowed to go in at once, whether on a run through Tartarus or on an operation. While the firepower could be useful, Mitsuru stressed that battles could very easily go wrong. If they did, they had to have at least one person on standby in the case that backup or a retrieval was necessary. Before, Mitsuru had played both their outside support and potential backup, but with Fuuka around they had a little more leeway as to who went and who remained behind. Regardless, Minato tried to alternate between the members as much as he could so that no one was left behind in terms of training.

Now, looking amongst their expectant faces, he warily shook his head. "Not really. Can I have some time to think about it?"

Mitsuru inclined her head. "Very well. You can make your final decision when we arrive." She looked to Fuuka, who twitched slightly at the sudden attention. "Yamagishi, please lead us there."

Minato, seeing that Yukari was most definitely tagging along and that the stubborn set to her jaw meant she wouldn't take no for an answer, let out a deep breath. They haven't even begun the operation yet and already there were problems.

* * *

Fuuka led them down the road, occasionally pausing to check that they were closing in on the presence she felt, until they stood outside the walls of one Hotel Champs de Fleurs. Minato stared at its walls, his mouth little more than a grim slash on his face. Yukari stood beside him, but while her expression looked unimpressed, the way her arms crossed tightly in front of her spoke of her inner revulsion.

"Well, Arisato? Who will you be taking on the mission?" Mitsuru asked as they gathered around. On the side, Fuuka summoned Lucia once more, prepared to lend her support to the team going inside.

"Junpei," Minato said after a few seconds of thought. "And Akihiko-senpai."

The two other teenagers stepped up after checking their gear, nodding once they were ready. Yukari, too, shouldered her bow and quiver, stepping up to the entrance and waiting for Minato's signal.

"I will remain here on standby, then, and to ensure Yamagishi's safety," Mitsuru agreed. "Proceed with caution, all of you."

Minato took his place at the head of the team, and, with one last glance to the Kirijo heiress and Fuuka on the sidelines, led the way in. He ignored the front desk to the side where a lone coffin stood upright behind it, slipping down the short hall to where the rooms were located. As he neared the intersection, the familiar feeling of Fuuka's power scanning the path ahead washed over him.

"…If what I'm sensing is correct, the Shadow should be on the third floor!" she stated. "It feels like it's in a large room… a suite, maybe?"

"Do places like these even have suites?" Yukari wondered dryly. "Seems too sleazy to me."

"Well, at least it gives us an idea of where it's at," Junpei remarked. "It's probably gonna look all special on the outside, so we can avoid the normal rooms."

Akihiko looked mildly surprised. "That's… actually pretty sound thinking, Junpei."

The other teen shrugged one shoulder. "Eh, that's how it works it games."

So spoken, Minato hurried them through the halls, cursing the lack of working electricity during the Dark Hour for making them take the stairs. Though they'd certainly run through much longer halls and climbed higher than the meager stairwells of the hotel, it definitely did not mean he preferred it.

Still, once on the third floor, he quickly looked around for any special-looking door and found one at the end of the hall. He even stopped in front of it, staring at the grand design that clearly marked it apart from all the others.

"Is this it, Fuuka?" Minato called, still staring. If he concentrated, he thought he could feel the Shadow waiting for them. But he left it to the professional to confirm it.

"Yes," she answered only a moment later. "It should be just beyond that door. Please, be careful!"

"Everyone ready?" he asked, not looking over his shoulder. When he received a chorus of affirmatives in reply, he reached out for the handle. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door, pushing it all the way and letting his party stream into the room behind him.

An almost comically obese figure seated upon a chair greeted them as they entered the room, a white cross swaying on either side of it. From behind its head, the off-white torso of a female sprouted, morbidly headless save for what looked like a bent six-barred cross. The female shape had its hands placed delicately around the Shadow's round head, and it seemed to peer down at them in sync with the main body.

And then it laughed, a combination of a shrill, feminine voice and the guttural sound that was universal to almost all Shadows—and lightning rained down from above.

They had little time to dodge. Though Akihiko was only mildly affected, protected by Polydeuces's resistance, and Junpei managed to jump out of the way in time, Yukari shrieked as she was struck, collapsing to her knees. It was a lucky chance that it was only Mazio, if Minato read the attack correctly.

As it was, Akihiko helped Yukari back to her feet. "You okay?"

"Y—Yeah," she stammered. "That just… caught me by surprise."

"Stay back for this and focus on healing," Minato ordered. Inwardly, he cursed the irony of fate. The last full moon, Yukari had been weakened early on, when she was resistant to the wind the Arcana Empress used and could have lent her magic when the Arcana Emperor had ended up weak to only Garu spells. Now, when it would have been better for her to not be in the fight, she was insistent on going and healthy enough to not be dissuaded. "Leave the fighting to us."

There was a stubborn press of her mouth at the order, but she nodded. "Understood."

The one in the most danger taken care of, Minato then gave a slew of orders, "Fuuka, please scan the Shadow."

"I'll do my best!"

"Akihiko-senpai, your Persona can weaken an enemy, right? Please prioritize that."

"You got it."

"Junpei, go wild."

"No problem!"

"But not too wild."

"Oh, come on, man!"

 _Tamamo, don't use your shield yet. Save it._

" _Fine by me._ "

With a twirl of his Evoker, Minato summoned Fortuna, and she cast a protective spell over Yukari, Rakukaja, in case the Shadow targeted her and she couldn't defend for whatever reason. Then, with the Persona hovering at his shoulder, he darted forward, running interference around the Shadow's chair. In the back he could see that Junpei was ready, Hermes prepared to execute his command and waiting only for Akihiko and Polydeuces to finish debilitating their foe.

The Arcana Hierophant laughed again and Minato staggered when the lightning bolt connected, running straight through his body and setting his nerves on fire. He choked out a gasp, Fortuna wavering beside him, her body surrounded by flashes of static. The damn thing had Zionga!

"Minato-kun!" Fuuka's voice shouted through their heads. "Whatever you do, don't use electricity! That's not only its strength, but it can repel it!"

"Good to know," he grounded out with difficulty as he stood, the light of a healing spell washing over him. "Now, let's try this again."

Hermes zoomed in, tackling one of the odd, talisman-like crosses situated by the Shadow and flinging it into the opposite wall. When the Shadow made to laugh again, the pale arm of the female shape moving to its ladder-like head in a noblewoman's gesture, Polydeuces prevented it from doing so with a Sonic Punch to the Shadow's face.

" _Minato._ "

 _A little busy!_ he thought as he switched Personas. Fortuna disappeared in a blink and with another pull of the trigger, she was replaced by Gurr. The eagle monster took flight shortly after being summoned, following Minato's will and joining Hermes in an almost synchronized formation, swooping down to attack the Shadow before pulling out of range. Both Personas remained in motion to escape the myriad bolts of electricity it sent their way in retaliation. Every so often, when the Shadow least expected it, Polydeuces would take advantage of whatever side it left open.

No longer laughing, both male and female pieces of the Shadow screeched in rage. Minato just barely felt Tamamo move when the Mazionga lit up the air around the room, crashing heavily down. When the attack finished, he felt no change. His teammates let out varying exclamations when they found that they were similarly unscathed, even though they had seen they were clearly in the spell's path of destruction.

His Other coughed out a laugh. " _I always did work best under pressure._ "

 _Are you okay!?_

" _I'm fine. A little tingly, though I think that's more glee at successfully shielding you all in a major battle. But now that you're listening, don't prolong the battle! You guys will need your energy!_ "

Minato clicked his tongue. _If you hadn't noticed, this thing's a bit of a wall._

" _Yeah… the big ones usually are._ " She frowned. " _Well, when in doubt, go for the mask!_ "

Easier said than done, Minato thought. But she had a point. If they spent too long on this fight, they ran the risk of being caught tired and susceptible to the Shadow that showed up next.

Deciding he needed a better look at what they could do to gain an advantage, he backed away, Akihiko and Junpei surging in to cover him. When he was a sufficient distance behind them, looking over the Shadow from a new angle, he stopped. "Fuuka, any chance of you being able to tell how to stun this thing long enough so that we can break its mask?"

They could try to simply pierce it through by simply raining down attacks, but the cost would be too high. And anyway, even when they did—Gurr dove dangerously close to the Shadow's head, claws swiping at its chest—the female part drove them away with a vicious strike of its delicate-looking hands.

"U—Um…!" Fuuka stuttered, clearly caught off guard by the request. He'd never had to ask for a strategy before, so he supposed that was a natural reaction. "Let me…"

Her power swept through the room, concentrating on the stout Shadow.

"…the legs," she said eventually. "Of its throne. If you could knock out maybe one side of those legs somehow, it could leave it off-balanced enough to be vulnerable. Separating the two figures seems like it would help, too, as they seem to work together."

"Did you hear that, Junpei? Akihiko-senpai?"

"Loud and clear!" Junpei declared. "Leave the legs to me and Hermes!"

"Then we'll focus on breaking the mask, Senpai," Minato said. "Get ready."

"No problem."

Minato directed Gurr to capture the Arcana Hierophant's attention, the Persona swooping in close and stopping before the Shadow's face. The female half screeched and made to strike at it. Minato let the attack hit, wincing as it resonated back to him, but kept Gurr hovering close to block the Shadow's view with its wings. It was only when he saw the black and gold blur that was Hermes that he commanded his Persona to move away, just in time for Hermes to slice through the two legs on the Shadow's right side.

The Arcana Hierophant fell heavily. Minato felt the floor of the hotel reverberate under its weight.

He forced himself to ignore it. "Now, Senpai!"

Polydeuces was shooting forward before the words even left his mouth, needle-like arm piercing through the head and the woman's torso. The Shadow wailed as the Persona ripped its arm away, jumping back before it could be struck by a brilliant bolt of electricity.

When it faded, Gurr moved in, wickedly sharp talons digging into the cracks in the mask, wings beating the woman's arms away when it flailed and tried to dislodge it. Another bolt of lightning fell just as the mask shattered, the sound echoing in the large room as the Shadow was engulfed in black mist.

Minato dismissed his Persona, panting. Vaguely, he heard Yukari command Io to heal them and felt the healing spell sweep over him, but his limbs still ached with dull pain.

"Are you all right?" Fuuka's voice inquired, worried.

In an undertone, Minato heard his Other say, " _I told her about the other Shadow. She's scanning the building now._ "

"Fine," Minato replied belatedly after hearing his teammates give her their status. "Is the area clear, Fuuka?"

"I'm looking now," she said for the others' benefit. Shortly after, she gasped, making them all tense. "There's another presence in that room!"

"What!?" Yukari looked around wildly. "Is it not dead yet!? I could've sworn we beat it!"

"It's a different Shadow!" Fuuka informed them. "I just… I can feel it in there with you, but I don't know where it is…"

The field team immediately turned to inspect the room, keeping an eye on each other's backs. Minato, facing the middle, let his eyes roam across the ceiling and the back of the room, to the transparent windows that looked into the shower. Nothing out of the ordinary jumped out at him, but then again he'd never been to one of these hotels before (and never would again), so he had little idea of what was considered ordinary.

Stepping forward, he instructed the others to search for where the Shadow could be hiding. "Be careful," he warned them. "Trust your instincts. If something doesn't feel right, tell us so we can all check it together."

They agreed and cautiously meandered about the room, each taking a different corner. Minato headed to the far side, opening the door to the shower and peeking in. Nothing stood out to him and, more importantly, nothing _jumped_ out at him. He wondered if there would be any merit to throwing something to see if it garnered a reaction or summoning a Persona to check it out for him.

"Um… guys?" Yukari called from her corner.

Minato abandoned his train of thought immediately, looking to where she was.

"What is it, Yukari?" Akihiko asked.

Yukari pointed to the large mirror hanging on the wall. "Why doesn't that mirror show our reflections…?"

Sharing a look with the others, Minato went to stand in front of it with them, taking his place in front while they fell into formation behind him. Sure enough, though they were clearly standing in front of the reflective surface, their images were absent from the room.

With one last glance to make sure they were all ready, he took a step forward, sword in hand, and reached to touch the surface of the mirror.

There was a pulse of power, and before Minato could open his mouth to warn the others, he felt it sweep over him. His heart leapt into his throat when the world went dark, floor disappearing beneath his feet.

And then his Other growled, voice darker than he'd ever heard her speak before, " _I don't think so, you son of a bitch. This is_ my _territory._ "


	19. In Love and War

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : _Stormy Cloudz_ : This chapter has a rather pivotal scene for Junpei so I think I'll address your review for chapter 10 here. I think an interesting part of Junpei's characterization that often gets a lot of flak from the fandom is how "real" he is (Yukari has a similar reputation). It's normal for people to get jealous and the like, so the fact that he gives such honest reactions to what the MC can do is refreshing. I wanted _Symbiosis_ 's Junpei to still have those pieces of him, but because Minato is as inexperienced as he is and struggled alongside him and Yukari as opposed to taking to Personas like a duck to water, he had less to compete with and thus less reason to rush ahead to prove himself (though he does anyway). It's still very much a part of him and I imagine he struggles a lot with himself beyond what Minato's point of view can see, but as this Minato is more open, I'd like to think that his inherently nice guy personality would react in kind.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Nineteen  
**

* * *

Tamamo had been ready the moment the Arcana Hierophant's mask was shattered.

One arm lifted above her head, hand splayed, she summoned forth the shield she'd developed with Minato's help. It was much like the barrier she'd constructed over his mind, meant to ward him from the intensely negative emotions and memories that would drag him down. By using that as a base, she had built up from it, speaking with Orpheus and the other Personas and watching them utilize their abilities to know what she had to block out, just like with negative thoughts.

It had taken her a while to learn how each skill worked in order to guard against it, from the offensive spells to status ailments. And it had taken longer, all the way until this last battle, to learn how to sufficiently guard more than just Minato. She had taken a page from the final battle in the game, during which the other characters sent him their support and strength in order to withstand Nyx's attacks. After all, bonds were two-way, and just because Minato held the Wild Card did not mean he was the only one to reap the benefits of them. Still, learning how to send her power properly down each Link took time and effort, especially as they were not fully realized just yet. But she had done it, through sheer force of will, in her need to be useful beyond what limited information she could give.

And now, as Minato faced the mirror, Tamamo was ready. She focused her power and sent it out, holding the Social Links for SEES, Yukari, Junpei, and Akihiko in one hand. Channeling her spiritual energy down the bonds that connected his soul to theirs. Enveloping them under her protection by using the Links as a pathway to their minds.

Distantly, she could feel them prodding back—Io, Hermes, and Polydeuces—and tried to send them as much reassurance as she could. Thankfully, none of them pulled away. Perhaps they recognized her presence as what had shielded them in the fight before. Whatever the case, she was thankful and held her ground, waiting.

When the Arcana Lovers broke loose from the mirror, invading their minds like a heavy fog, she pushed back with everything she had to maintain the barrier. It fractured under the initial impact, as it was only built for a single hit, so she had to concentrate in order to hold it all together and keep it steady against the intrusion. She forced herself to ignore Minato's panic when his vision went black, his body transported away from the room under the Shadow's power.

"I don't think so, you son of a bitch," she growled, watching as the Shadow pushed against her barrier, black mist creeping down all around it in search of a weak point. The threads of the Social Links burned in her hand—the danger threatening their safety relaying back to her; a fight on multiple grounds—but she held fast to them, keeping them safe beneath her shield. "This is _my_ territory."

Her arm started to buckle under the strain. Defiant, she relaxed her stance for a brief second before shoving back again.

" **Do not resist…** " a foreign voice whispered, emanating from the fog. If she looked closely, she could see the Shadow's heart-shaped silhouette in its midst, skirting the boundary of Minato's mind as it tried get in. " **Give in… Let your desire free you from your shackles…** "

The skin on the back of her hand chipped, like glass, black cracks webbing out. Tamamo hissed as pain flared out from the wound, but refused to give in to the fear that began to spread through her chest. She would stand her ground, wouldn't give in—not for anything. Even if it broke her body to pieces once again. "Don't give me that crap! Like I ever would!"

Something approached her from behind, but before she could even chance a look back, a familiar, white-gloved hand covered her own.

"Orpheus!" she exclaimed, shocked. After months of being in the Persona's presence, she would recognize that helping hand any day. "What the—but how did you show up on your own!?"

" **I did not,** " the Persona replied mildly. " **You are in danger, so I answered your call. Now, let us expel this fiend from our mind.** "

Bewildered, but with much more pressing things at hand, Tamamo nodded. She glared up at the Shadow. "Okay. I've got a little trick up my sleeve. Mind if I use you for a bit, buddy?"

" **My power is ever at your disposal,** " Orpheus responded.

Smiling, Tamamo summoned up the same spark she'd been practicing weeks ago, before the shield came into development. It crackled above her hand now, that held up the shield and which Orpheus supported. High above them, the Shadow shifted against the shield, pressure easing as the lightning built up in her hands.

"Darkness beyond twilight, crimson beyond blood that flows," she recited as she steadily added in her power. Because why the hell not? "Buried in the stream of time—and I don't remember this part of the incantation, but—let all the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"

Pouring in all the strength she could at the last moment, she let the ball of lightning go. It hurtled upwards, a stream of light trailing behind it, through the shield and into the fog. There, it exploded, light engulfing the Shadow's mental presence. Branches of the lightning streaked outwards, all throughout the fog the Shadow created, illuminating it from within. With an inhuman shriek, the Arcana Lovers disappeared, expelling itself from Minato's mind. In her other hand, Tamamo felt the Social Links relax, the danger gone from their ends as well.

Lowering her damaged hand, Tamamo heaved a sigh of relief only to wince in pain when her eyes stung. She rubbed at them, wondering why they had suddenly become so sensitive. Then again, she supposed that the light show that had gone on not moments before might have irritated her gaze somehow. The right, given its lighter color, was highly sensitive, it seemed. Still, she blinked up at Orpheus, sending him a lopsided smile. "Not really the Dragon Slave, but it definitely worked!"

It was just too bad that she couldn't pull off something that amazing _outside_ of Minato's head. Yet. She was certainly trying, but it was much more difficult to manifest power outside as opposed to the mindscape. Even with Orpheus coaching her.

" **Indeed,** " was the Persona's simple reply.

* * *

"Minato-kun! Wake up!"

With a gasp, Minato shot up from where he lay sprawled on the floor. "What—?"

Both Yukari and Fuuka's voice gave a sigh of relief.

"Thank god," Yukari said. "I think we were all knocked out when we were transported. I woke up about a minute ago." She frowned. "Fuuka? How are Junpei and Akihiko-senpai? Are they okay?"

"Yes, I heard them respond not too long ago," Fuuka confirmed. "It looks like you all were transported out at the same time, but you were separated into pairs. Which is a good thing because I can sense that normal Shadows have started manifesting in the hotel halls now…"

Yukari groaned. "Seriously? Geez, this sucks!"

"How are you and Mitsuru doing? Did they pass you by in front?" Minato asked, alarmed.

"We're fine," Fuuka hurriedly reassured him. "It seems they just started manifesting in the hotel itself. Perhaps that other Shadow called them there…"

Shaking her head, Yukari looked back down at Minato. "Are you good to go? Looks like we should regroup with them as soon as possible."

Minato nodded, pushing himself up. Looking around, he found his sword lying a little to the side and grabbed it, checking it over to make sure it was still in good enough condition for battle. Once he was certain it was fine, he led the way to the door and stepped out, Yukari following him. She closed the door behind them before readying her bow.

"That Shadow's power is blanketing the whole building," Fuuka murmured. "But I'm pretty sure it's in that one room you were in before. However, it seems to have sealed the door somehow, so I'm not sure how you'll be able to get in… I'll try to find out how to break the seal. In the meantime, please join the others. They're on the floor above you."

Minato wondered vaguely if she was going to try to consult Tamamo somehow. But speaking of… _Tamamo? Are you all right? I heard you before I blacked out._

" _All's well,_ " his Other replied, though she winced. " _Damn thing tried to break in, but we put a stop to it. Go kick its ass the rest of the way for me, would you?_ "

' _We'?_

" _Ah, yeah. Orpheus is a sweetheart. Regular hero, that guy. I can see how he'd be able to brave the underworld for his wife. Y'know, outside of the whole undying love thing._ " She paused. " _Oh… I think Fuuka really is trying to contact me. Excuse me._ "

Relieved she was unharmed as well and deciding to leave the brainstorming to them, he hurried with Yukari to the staircase.

* * *

Akihiko and Junpei met them halfway up.

"Good, you're both all right," Akihiko said as they climbed back up. "Fuuka told us you were on the first floor and suggested we regroup, so we figured we'd try to find you or at least meet halfway."

Minato nodded. "She told us the same. What's your guys' status?"

"No injuries here," Junpei reported. "Looks like that thing just teleported us out and barricaded the door to save itself." He snorted. "Coward."

"Let's just be thankful that we weren't injured in the process." Yukari sighed. "And that it was too stupid to transport us further than a few bedrooms."

As they stepped onto the second floor, Fuuka's voice reached them. "The mirrors," she told them distantly. "There seem to be certain mirrors that you'll need to break in order to remove the seal on the door…"

Minato tilted his head when she paused. Was she being told the information right then?

"Try to search for mirrors like the one in that room," she eventually continued. "If they don't show your reflection, I think they might be the mirrors we're looking for."

He was just about to ask when Tamamo filled him in, " _I remembered. Yukari mentioning the lack of reflection helped._ "

Accepting it for what it was, he led the group around the floor, breaking into the different rooms and trying to find the mirrors that lacked their reflection. The first few rooms held normal mirrors, but as they made their way around a corner, they finally found one that fairly reeked of the Shadow's presence. Minato gestured for the others to back away before striking at the mirror with his sword. The glass broke, and a black mist lifted from the cracks before dissipating.

"That's one," Fuuka reported. "I can feel the seal weakening, but it's still there. I think there's another mirror on the floor above you."

Glad to make progress, they made their way out and around, avoiding the Shadows that caught sight of them and chased them. They were slightly more difficult to avoid, as the halls in the hotel were much more narrow than the corridors of Tartarus, but thankfully the team was quick at maneuvering around (and occasionally, over) them. They slipped up the stairs to the third floor, unhindered.

From there, it was another routine circuit around the rooms, trying to find a mirror without a reflection. Once they did, it was a simple matter of breaking it.

"That should do it!" Fuuka exclaimed. "You should be able to fight the Shadow now!"

"I wonder how the hotel staff are gonna explain the suddenly broken mirrors," Junpei said, contemplating the broken glass. Without the Shadow's influence, it returned to normal and showed their reflections, distorted by the damage.

"…Mitsuru will probably take care of it," was Akihiko's answer.

"Won't _that_ be an awkward check to write out and explain," Yukari muttered.

Ignoring them, Minato led the way back to the suite door, bursting in without further fanfare. As his teammates followed suit, they all paused, surprised, when they found the Shadow, shaped like a giant inflated heart with wings, struggling to keep itself afloat in the air.

"What the… it looks like it's half dead already!" Junpei exclaimed.

Yukari scowled. "You say that like it's a bad thing!"

"Well, I just… Isn't that weird to you?"

"It might've been the seals," Akihiko reasoned. "And anyway, stop fighting each other so we can just take care of this already. This has gone on long enough…"

The brunette huffed. "You can say that again… Let's get this over with already. I'm tired of being in this disgusting place."

"Let's try to get it out of the air so we can reach it with our weapons if need be," Minato suggested, getting right into tactics. "If it falls and we get a shot at the mask, great. If not, just focus on whittling it down. Fuuka, can you get a scan?"

"I've got it," Fuuka replied. "It doesn't seem to have any resistances besides light and dark, but there are no weaknesses, either…"

"Well, that makes things a little easier," Minato murmured.

"Um, also, I… er, I thought about looking in further and I think I might know a little of what it can do…" their navigator added nervously, much to their surprise. "It's faint, but I think it can use fire spells. Judging by its earlier actions in separating you all, it's likely that it also prefers to hinder your ability to work together. Please, be careful."

"Fuuka, that's amazing!" Yukari breathed.

"Fire, huh? But with no strengths or weaknesses, we won't have to worry about a wrong type of attack landing. Junpei," Minato paused, making sure he had the other boy's attention before continuing, "go all out. I'll back you up. Yukari, Akihiko-senpai, do what you can, but focus on support, please." A round of nods followed his words. "Whenever you're ready, Junpei."

Four simultaneous gunshots rang through the large room as their Personas took their place on the battlefield beside their users. Junpei took off, encouraged by his orders, with Hermes flying above him. The Arcana Lovers fluttered in the air and, though the mask remained unmoved, it gave off a distinctly frantic air as the assault began.

" _Don't worry if it seems to be using a non-attacking spell,_ " Tamamo took the time to reassure him as he ran up to cover Junpei's back. " _I've got it handled._ "

 _Your shield can block the attacks that mess with our heads?_ he asked, mildly surprised.

" _Technically, they all mess with your heads. But yes, I made it for full nullification and went through a crash course in status ailments with your Personas to do it,_ " she replied primly. Given how many skills his Personas were capable of—not to mention how many he acquired over time—he winced sympathetically at the implications of just how long she'd been studying. " _I won't be able to block everything since the shield destabilizes after one solid attack, but I'll have it up when it matters._ "

 _In other words, count on you, but don't slack off?_

" _Indeed. Now, go on or Junpei will steal all the glory._ "

 _He can have it,_ he said, but followed anyway, helping the other teen tear up the Shadow's wings to render it grounded. From there, the fight was almost embarrassingly easy.

* * *

After the second Shadow's defeat, Junpei trailed behind the others as they left the love hotel, too caught up in his thoughts to feel relief at another operation over and done with. Once the adrenaline of battle faded, he couldn't help but think back over the entire encounter, something nagging at him in the back of his mind.

Fuuka and Mitsuru greeted them once they got out, congratulating them all on a job well done. Junpei barely heard them, eyes trailing over his teammates until they fell on the back of Minato's head.

And it clicked.

During the first battle against that seriously fat Shadow, it had attacked them all with the higher-tired Mazionga spell. None of them had been able to dodge. He saw that with his own eyes. He'd seen the lightning fall down on him and Akihiko, watched as Yukari curled up and covered her head with both hands as if it would help. But when it was over, none of them had been hit. It was such a shock that they'd all looked at each other in wonder—except Minato.

Junpei hands clenched. Something burned in his chest, and he felt all the worse for knowing exactly what it was.

Sure, Junpei had his moment as a hero with the monorail, saving the other guy from falling to his death. But after that? It was all _his_ show. Him, Minato, with the fancy Persona shuffling. It wasn't enough that he was made leader, but he had to show them all up at the same time.

Like with Fuuka. The damn Shadow was weak to something only Yukari could use. She was out of the fight, but she wasn't out of range. And yet what did he do? He pummeled the damn thing himself before any of them could do much else. And now this. Junpei hadn't even seen him cast any spell to protect them and yet they were all saved by his hand.

It figured that just when Junpei thought he could be different, could be something other than his deadbeat dad's son whose only real skill was baseball, there was still someone else better than he was.

"All right! We should head back, too," Yukari's voice brought him back to the present. She and Fuuka stood opposite of them, clearly intent on returning to the dorm. "Junpei, Minato-kun, you coming?"

Minato took a step forward.

Before Junpei could think about what he was doing, his hand shot out to grasp his shoulder. When he saw Yukari and Fuuka looking at them in surprise, he forced a grin onto his face. "We'll catch up, Yuka-tan. You ladies go on ahead."

They looked unsure, but left, shooting glances over their shoulders until they were out of sight.

Minato turned, expression questioning. "Did you need something?"

Junpei took a moment to look over the other boy, conflicted.

It would be so easy to hate him, he thought. The guy was so freaking lazy when not leading a team (and sometimes even then). He wouldn't stir up trouble if Junpei took his frustration out on him. He'd probably just let it drift past, let him cool down a bit, and then accept it when Junpei talked to him again, as if he didn't even notice him acting a different way. He would let Junpei be Stupei (goddammit, Yuka-tan) and not let it affect anything in his bubble of a life.

It would be so easy.

"Jun—"

"You know, you really piss me off sometimes," Junpei confessed. He heard the other boy's mouth click shut. "You've got all these talents, but you never brag about it. More than half the time, it's like you live under a rock, but you can be quick when you want to be. And then when there's a fight, you do all this amazing shit with your Personas, but you don't own up to it. Like it's just some normal thing for you." He forced himself to laugh. "God, it makes me wanna strangle you or something, y'know? It's so unfair it's not even funny, man."

He could be everything Junpei wanted to be. But it was like he didn't even _care_.

"I didn't ask for this," Minato began, and this time Junpei really laughed.

"Yeah, I know. That's why it sucks." Removing his cap, Junpei ran a hand over his short hair before resting it on the back of his neck. "I… overheard what you said in Tartarus a while back. Before we saved Fuuka. I mean, it was over the little communicator thing Mitsuru-senpai had so you probably already know, and… well. I just wanna say that I get it. You had a rough time and I _get it_. But I still can't help getting all jealous because you're the _leader_ and the _designated hero_ and I'm… well, me."

Minato made no move to reply, so Junpei was left to think. It was uncomfortable to feel the weight of his gaze, so he let out a relieved sigh when Minato turned to look elsewhere.

It would be so very easy to hate Minato Arisato. The mysterious and good-looking transfer student that still managed to turn heads even when he said nothing at all.

But…

But he'd gotten enough of that crap before, Junpei knew. So much that he admitted he'd up and stopped caring about the shit people said about him and to him until he came to Port Island. And as much as Junpei wanted to hate him, as much as he could just turn away and act like a total asshole until he could calm down again… The idea of adding to that experience just made him sort of sick. Especially since the guy probably _would_ just take it without blinking.

Because he was used to it.

That was just plain sad. And Junpei… well, Junpei had always vowed to not be like his dad. If he got angry, it wasn't gonna be for something stupid.

"I guess I just wanted to say that. Let you know and all. Since you said your piece for everyone to hear." In a way, Junpei was still trying to emulate him. Like trying to figure out how someone worked by doing the same things they did. And maybe it was a bit of a subtle competition as well, to see if he could do what their leader could. If he could be just as brave not only in battle, but out of it. "C'mon, let's head back. The others are probably wondering if we got attacked on the way or something by now."

He hurried on ahead after shoving his cap back on, trying not to go too fast that it looked like he was fleeing. He probably failed, seeing as how it was really damn awkward to walk beside the other guy after speaking his mind like that.

It was only when Minato spoke up from behind him that he slowed down to listen. "You can still be a hero."

Junpei blinked, looking over his shoulder. "What?"

Minato kept walking, his gait slow with his hands shoved customarily in his pockets. He gave a one-shouldered shrug. "You can still be a hero," he repeated. "Stories never really have just one, you know. It just depends on the point of view."

And, as Junpei watched, dumbfounded, as the other boy kept walking… his lips pulled up in a grin. Tugging at his cap to ensure it stayed on, he ran after his friend, laughing. "Ha! That's right, isn't it? We'll be regular partners against crime! Just you and me, bro! Takin' on the world… Yeah!"

It wasn't a perfect fix. He knew that. He had a lot of issues to work on. Jealousy didn't just disappear overnight.

But it was an olive branch. An acknowledgment that the other guy had heard him loud and clear, but was still willing to put up with him. Like hell he wasn't going to take that.


	20. Evolution

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Some trivia for the last parts of this chapter, but in some cultures, the length of one's hair can be seen as the equivalent to one's power. In the old days especially, this was often driven to the point that cutting someone's hair (such as after they lose to you in battle) was seen as the ultimate offense and often used to invoke shame. Don't quote me on this, but I also believe there's one Native American tribe that considers hair length to measure one's wisdom and knowledge—the longer the hair, the more thoughts you've had. Or something to that effect.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty  
**

* * *

Not much time had passed before things came to a head amongst the members of SEES.

Things had gone quiet after the last operation, the members taking the time to rest from the extended ordeal. While they had certainly dealt with more pressing circumstances before, the two battles had taken their toll. And with exams looming over the horizon, they were all very grateful for the respite.

It was after school that the juniors received word from Akihiko via text that Ikutsuki was calling a meeting at the dorm. Judging by the wording, it sounded important. Enough to discard what plans they'd made to get together and start studying in the school library.

Junpei groaned. "Man! That guy's got some horrible timing. I need all the help I can get, and then this happens on one of the days we can all actually get together and study!"

"This wouldn't happen if you would actually pay attention in class and do your work instead of play video games all day," Yukari said snidely.

Her caustic tone took both boys by surprise; she sounded downright venomous, and for something so little. Sharing a look with Minato, Junpei cautiously asked, "What's up with you, Yuka-tan?"

"It's nothing. I…" Her mouth opened to try to explain, but the words stopped short of leaving her throat. Eventually, she sighed and shook her head. "I'll tell you guys later. During the meeting."

Minato and Junpei glanced at one another again, but, when she refused to elaborate further, decided it would be best to leave it alone. Still, her words were rather ominous, leaving Minato wondering what sort of disaster lay ahead even as they gathered their things and left the classroom, picking up Fuuka next door along the way.

Their teal-haired navigator seemed to sense the tension in the air, for she didn't attempt to make any small talk on the way back to the dorm. But every so often Minato would catch her sending small, concerned looks in Yukari's direction, though the brunette herself was completely unaware.

Bewildered, Minato went to his Other. _Do you have any idea what's going on?_

" _Yukari found something unpleasant regarding the incident ten years ago,_ " Tamamo told him. " _Fuuka helped her uncover it. I don't remember the details, but it has to do with the explosion you heard those girls gossiping about the other day._ "

Minato tried to remember said conversation. He heard a lot of things as he approached the school gate each morning, so they all sort of blended in together. But he could vaguely recall a girl mentioning an explosion occurring, calling for a replacement building to be built.

Looking back over his classmates and friends, Minato sighed, leaning back further into his seat as they waited for their stop to arrive. He'd known Yukari was starting to question the way Mitsuru did things, especially after Fuuka joined, but he hadn't realized it would get so bad. Bad enough for her to go through with a confrontation, at that.

He could only hope that the squad's dynamic didn't shift too radically as a result. They were starting to really pull together. If they unraveled now, where would that leave them?

* * *

The moment they were all seated in the command room, Mitsuru relayed a synopsis of what occurred during the last operation to Ikutsuki, who listened raptly.

"…I see. So they're getting tougher," he murmured when she finished. He looked up at the somber group, smiling. "But it's not all bad news. You see, I called today's meeting because—"

Yukari, who'd been ominously quiet up until that point, finally spoke, interrupting him, "I'm sorry, but before we go on, I'd like to ask Mitsuru-senpai something."

The Kirijo heiress was clearly surprised, straightening in her seat. "Me?"

Yukari nodded, expression stern and eyebrows furrowed over her large eyes. "Ever since I joined, so many things have happened… I went along with it without really understanding what was going on. But now, I need to know. So I'm gonna ask you straight out: You've been hiding something from us, haven't you, Senpai?" Her eyes thinned, voice accusing. "You act like you don't know anything about the Dark Hour and Tartarus, but they're related to that accident ten years ago, aren't they?"

Junpei looked wildly between her and Mitsuru, who had stiffened, spine rigid with shock. "Wait, what? What accident?"

"There was an explosion near our school, and a lot of people died," Yukari told him, sparing him a glance before coolly returning to Mitsuru. "It must've been big news back then. You know about it, don't you?"

The redhead took a moment to breathe, surprise fading into something resigned and regretful. "Yes."

Seeing that she had the attention of the entire group, Yukari decided to continue explaining for their benefit, "Luckily, no students were injured in the explosion, but around the same time, a large number of students were recorded as absent. Seems like more than _just_ a coincidence."

"What do you mean?" Mitsuru asked. She seemed weary, but determinedly went along, to see Yukari's accusations through.

"I dug up some old school records and found something interesting," Yukari said in response. To the side, Minato saw Fuuka duck her head. "The students who were absent… They all collapsed suddenly and had to be hospitalized. Sound familiar? You know… like the girls who bullied Fuuka." When Mitsuru didn't respond, lowering her own head, Yukari jumped to her feet. "There has to be an explanation! What really happened on the day of that accident!? The Kirijo Group built our school, so you _must_ know something! Tell me the truth!"

There was a long silence. No one, not even Ikutsuki or Akihiko, moved or even seemed to breathe.

Finally, Mitsuru sighed. "I wasn't trying to hide anything from you. It just never seemed relevant. But…"

There, Ikutsuki regained his voice, "It's okay. It's not your fault."

Lifting her head, Mitsuru nodded. "All right. I'll tell you the whole story." She looked at the group before her gaze settled on Yukari, who slowly sat back down. "The Shadows have many mysterious abilities. Some research indicates that they can even affect time and space. We think of them as our enemies, but what if we could somehow use them to our advantage? They would be a source of unimaginable power, wouldn't they?"

That was apparently not what Yukari had expected to hear. "What?"

From his seat, Minato glowered. _That sounds like a megalomaniac's reasoning._

" _Shush,_ " whispered Tamamo, an odd inflection to her voice.

 _Are you all right?_

" _I'm fine… Just listen._ "

"Fourteen years ago, one man pursued that line of thinking. He was the former leader of the Kirijo Group, Kouetsu Kirijo… my grandfather." Mitsuru closed her eyes briefly at the admission, then gathered a breath before continuing, voice soft. "My grandfather was obsessed with Shadows. He wanted to harness their power and create something extraordinary."

"Harness their power?"

Mitsuru nodded at Fuuka's question. "He assembled a team of scientists and, over several years, collected a significant number of Shadows."

"He what!?" Junpei exclaimed. "Damn, that's freaking crazy!"

"However… ten years ago, during the final stages of the experiment, they lost control of the Shadows' power. Consequently, the nature of the world was altered."

Fuuka seemed to realize it just moments before they did. "You mean…"

"Yes," Mitsuru said. "Tartarus and the Dark Hour." She sighed, looking down at her hands where they rested in her lap. "By their account, the mass of Shadows they collected split into several large ones that then dispersed. These are the Shadows we've been encountering on nights when the moon is full."

Minato felt his Other shift uncomfortably.

"Is that why they've appeared in different places?" Fuuka asked.

"Wait a minute," Yukari interrupted. "If what you said is true, then why did our school turn into Tartarus?" She paused, and Minato could see her mentally reviewing the conversation thus far. She gasped. "Don't tell me… _That's_ where they conducted the experiment!?"

This time, Mitsuru only nodded, looking pained.

"Then… those students who were hospitalized…"

"I'm afraid it's just as you're thinking," their upperclassman confessed. Had she been anyone else, Minato suspected she would have shrugged helplessly. Or maybe start crying. "Port Island must have been an ideal location for them. It was a highly-populated area, and the Kirijo Group had influence there. They could do as they pleased… As you guessed, the experiment ten years ago was conducted at Gekkoukan High School."

Yukari slowly shook her head, disbelieving. "Does that mean… that all this time… all we've been doing is cleaning up their mess!? You lied to us!?" When Mitsuru didn't respond, she turned her accusing eyes to Akihiko. "You knew, too, didn't you, Senpai!? They've just been using us! Or do you not care as long as you get to fight?"

Akihiko, who'd been quiet the entire time, finally reacted, offended. "Hey, that's not true! I have my reasons!"

"Think what you'd like," Mitsuru said over them, deliberately drawing Yukari's attention back to her. "It was _my_ decision not to share that information. And I'm sorry. I never intended to deceive you. Convincing you to join SEES was my highest priority, for, as absurd as it may seem, only we—with our Personas—can fight the Shadows." She looked away, folding her arms over her chest. It was a very usual pose for her, but this time Minato noticed that it seemed more like she was trying to curl around herself. "Besides… some of us were never given a choice. I…"

Her fellow senior reached over, but aborted the movement halfway. "Mitsuru… Don't."

The chairman, seeing how very shaken they all were, sighed. "Yukari, it's those in the past who are to blame. And they lost their lives as a result of what they did. We're all in the same boat here; none of us deserve the burden that's been thrust upon us."

"But…!" Yukari began, only to fall silent.

"It's been ten years since that incident," Ikutsuki continued. "No one knows why those Shadows suddenly returned. But since they're active, at least we can find and destroy them. Do you realize what this means?"

At that, everyone's attention returned to him.

He adjusted his glasses, the lenses glinting. "What if I told you that those twelve Shadows are the cause of everything?"

Akihiko understood first. "Then, if we defeat them all, Tartarus and the Dark Hour will disappear?"

Ikutsuki nodded, pleased. "Exactly! That's what I was going to tell you earlier." Before Yukari interrupted and verbally tore everything apart. "See, it's good news, isn't it?"

"Is that true?" Fuuka asked, hopeful.

"There's evidence to support it," Ikutsuki confirmed. "Now, our true battle begins. Regardless of what's happened in the past, we must fight to protect the people. The Shadows are, as noted, gaining strength. We can't afford to just wait for them." His reasoning appeared as sound as always. "And there are many mysteries still surrounding Tartarus. Why did such a gigantic structure appear in the first place?" He shrugged. "The answer must lie within it."

Conversation tentatively started up again at this revelation, gladdened by the news, though Mitsuru and Yukari were notably silent.

Tamamo, too, Minato noticed uneasily. He called to her, tone questioning.

" _He's lying,_ " she said eventually. Quietly. Her words poured over him like ice water. " _Or, rather, he's not telling the entire truth. I…_ " Her voice trailed off. When she continued, she sounded strange, " _I think… I…_ "

He waited, but she said nothing more. _Tamamo?_

The chatting between his teammates drowned it out at first, but eventually he heard her. She was breathing hard. " _I feel… strange… burning…_ "

Alarm spiked and he stiffened. _What? What's going on!?_

" _I can't…_ "

If anyone found his sudden and rather hasty retreat strange, no one said a word.

* * *

Hurrying to his room, Minato threw himself inside and nearly slammed the door shut before locking it. He dove into his mind the moment his body was situated on his bed.

He was disconcerted when he found himself in the middle of a body of water. The sensations felt real, but it didn't flood his lungs and drown him, so he forced himself to ignore it and search of his Other. After turning around several times, he found her floating somewhere between the Velvet Room door and the chained one. He swam over, reaching out to grab her shoulder only to pull back when his hand burned.

"Tamamo?" he called cautiously.

She turned to him, bicolored eyes bright with pain. "You idiot," she said weakly, "why'd you come in?"

"Because you're like this," he retorted, looking her over. His eyes caught sight of the back of her right hand, the skin cracked in a familiar way. Annoyance flared. "You liar. You said you were fine."

"I was," she insisted. She took in a shaky breath. "At the time, anyway. It's just… been growing. I don't know why… it hit all at once now…"

Minato grabbed her hand, inspecting the injury. When his fingers strayed close to the exposed black matter, she flinched and he moved them hurriedly away, instead holding on to the tips of her fingers. Feeling helpless, he asked, "What's going on, Tamamo? Can I help?"

"I don't know," she told him honestly. "It started out with this… stinging in my eyes after the Arcana Lovers went down… When you rested, it spread a little… but I mostly just felt warm. It wasn't… painful…" She gasped, curling up into a ball, her free hand wrapping around her torso and over her chest. "It just… started burning…!"

She cried out then, trying to pull herself in tighter. The movement made her sink in the water and he followed her, his hand still latched onto her.

It was difficult to watch. Painful, even, though he couldn't feel her pain like how she sometimes felt his. But he couldn't look away, terrified that if he did she would vanish or, by her words, burn up completely. Didn't some religions or cultures or myths attribute burning in fire to purification? Was she leaving him?

His grip tightened on her hand.

When she pulled away, his fingers tried to chase hers only for her to plant her palm on his chest, pushing him back. He moved easily, the water making him glide back, frustratingly out of reach of her. "Why—"

"Fuuka," was all she managed to get out before pulling herself in tighter, emitting a wounded sound.

Minato left his mindscape in a flash, grabbing an Evoker and leaving his room (and nearly running into his door because he forgot he locked it) before heading back up the stairs. The other SEES members were just leaving, to his luck.

"Fuuka," he called, somewhat breathless. "Can I talk to you?"

The teal-haired girl blinked in surprise, but her eyebrows soon creased with worry. "O—Of course, Minato-kun."

With that, Minato turned on his heel and strode briskly away. She followed him down the stairs and through the lounge, never questioning even as he had them put on their shoes to go outside. She did seem to hesitate when he went into the alley leading to the area behind the dorm, but followed him dutifully. When they were sufficiently out of sight of pedestrians, he lifted the Evoker for her to take. Fuuka accepted it, puzzled.

"Use it," he told her. "Please. Something's wrong with Tamamo. She's in a lot of pain."

She let out a small gasp, mouth opening to probably ask what happened. She reined herself in at the last moment, however, instead lifting the Evoker and doing as he asked. Lucia formed around her and Minato stepped back, carefully looking around to make sure that no one saw the Persona in broad daylight.

He turned around and held still when he felt Lucia analyze him, waiting impatiently as Fuuka took in the information and picked it apart.

"How strange…" she murmured. "Her presence… It feels like it's flickering. Like a flame… Wait, no. It's something more volatile than that. It feels like… lightning?"

"But what does it _mean_?" he pressed, even as he filed the information away. Lightning? So she had an affinity for electricity? "Is she getting weaker?"

After a moment, Fuuka shook her head. She gazed at him, but it was noticeable that she wasn't focusing on him but rather something only she could see beyond him. "I don't think you have to worry about that. Flickering is just the best way I can describe it—it's actually rather strong…" She blinked, finally looking at him directly. "This is just a guess, but I think… I think she may be growing stronger. I felt her power burst during the operation, so it's possible that she's broken through her current limits."

"Growing pains?" Minato asked, surprised, before wondering, "What the hell did she _do_?"

"I'm not sure," Fuuka admitted. "I could only sense what was happening, but it must've been rather big." She paused, looking at him uncertainly as Lucia faded into particles of light. "I'm sure she'll be all right, Minato-kun. She just has to… adjust."

Minato sighed deeply. "Thanks, Fuuka. Sorry to drag you out here all of a sudden. I was just worried."

Panicked, really. Funny how he could grow up and yet feel the exact same way as he did when he was a kid and thought Tamamo would leave him like his parents had.

Fuuka shook her head. "It's okay. I'm glad to help. Tamamo-san's talked with me a few times while we were in Tartarus. She said it was to keep me company while you all were off 'doing your thing'." She giggled. "I'd like to consider her as something of a friend."

He heard his Other murmur something through her pain and gave a small grin as he relayed it, "She says if that's true, then drop the 'san'."

The navigator blinked at him in surprise, but soon smiled in return. "Tamamo-chan, then."

* * *

That night, after Minato turned in, reluctantly going to sleep at Tamamo's urging and leaving her to her "growing pains", Pharos visited her.

The avatar of Death looked fascinated by the water, standing beneath where she had drifted off to and peering up from the mindscape floor. Tamamo caught sight of him and sighed, willing her body to sink down. The burning had subsided very little and flared up from time to time, so she tried to do as Fuuka suggested and adjust to it. Tried to force herself to ignore the pain and relax in order for her soul to somehow expand and contain it. She could only hope that it would eventually stop. If it didn't, she had no idea what she would do.

"Hey, Pharos," she greeted softly as she touched down before him.

"Hello," he replied. His eyes roamed the water surrounding them. "What is this?"

She looked up to see what he did, smiling softly at the sight of the starry barrier through the imaginary sea. "Water. I find it comforting." Then, looking back down again, she said, "I'm surprised you're visiting me rather than Minato."

The boy blinked back at her, confused. "You are my friend as well, are you not?"

His earnest words made her smile. "True. So, what can I do for you, then?"

"I simply wished to ask you something," Pharos replied, looking over her thoughtfully. "You are in great pain now, as a result of your endeavors to protect him… You said before that you would have no regrets so long as he remained amongst the living. Do you regret that vow at all, even now?"

Tamamo took a moment to think. If she were more foolhardy, she would go on and say that no, she didn't regret it at all. But she wasn't the type. Not usually, anyway. "If I were to be honest, then… yes, I do regret it a bit."

"Really?" His voice remained placid, but the surprise shone through in his eyes.

She nodded. "Yes. Regret is a very human thing. So is the aversion to pain. Not many people like to be in pain, so it's natural that I regret it a little now that I am." She chuckled. "But at the same time, I'm glad. If Fuuka's right, even though this sudden power surge hurts like nothing else, I'll be able to use the power I've gained to help Minato further. So even though I'm hurting right now, I still gained more in the long run. Theoretically, at least."

A brief silence fell over them as Pharos took in her words. Then, he nodded. "I see… People are highly complex. I learn more and more every day from you both. It's very enlightening."

He lifted his arm, reaching out and placing his hand on her forehead. Tamamo allowed it, watching him uncertainly only to freeze when some of the pain ebbed away. It was still there, like embers left smoldering in an untended fire, but it was much more bearable now.

"What did you do?" she breathed when he pulled his hand away.

"I helped you," he said simply, as if it were obvious. His head tilted. "Just as I try to help him, when I can… Is that not what friends do?"

It was, but as she lifted her hands to touch where his hand had been, she wondered wildly what he had done, exactly, to help.

"Goodnight," Pharos told her, body fading even as he spoke. "And take care."

When he was gone, Tamamo looked herself over and even summoned up a mirror to see if there were any changes. For a moment, nothing caught her eye and she was about to settle back, relieved, when she realized what was off. With a little more effort than it usually took, she banished the empty sea she created to soothe herself. Then, very carefully, she reached up, bearing with the lingering pain to undo the ponytail she'd had since forever. Amaranth-pink hair fell—much longer than before. What would have fallen to just her shoulders now trailed down easily over her shoulder blades and chest.

It didn't seem like much of a change, nothing extraordinary like a suddenly blue eye, but it was still change. Highly noticeable change, at that. Especially since she appeared to have lost the ability to morph her appearance save for her clothing now.

Fingering the strands, she found herself considering them before conjuring up a pair of scissors. She breathed out slowly when they appeared, body aching, but brandished them and cut off a portion, rendering it to approximately the length it had been before. Holding the detached pieces, she looked over them and made them disappear before glancing back down at the chopped strands still attached to her head.

It grew back within moments.

She cut them again, shorter this time, and watched. It grew back.

Sighing, she erased the scissors and tied her hair back up, if only so she didn't have to look at it. Whatever Pharos had done, it was apparently there to stay.


	21. Summer's Beginning

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : _Avatar NIX_ : I don't believe it's ever mentioned how the Kirijo Group learned of the existence of Shadows exactly, enough to know how to find and capture them. There's some lore in-game that the Group was once part of another corporation, the Nanjo Group, which is a reference of the first game (one of the party members then was the heir to the business, much like Mitsuru herself). However, the first two _Persona_ games are quite different from the more recent additions to the series (the enemies, for instance, are not Shadows but rather "demons" as per _Shin Megami Tensei_ tradition), so it's hard to say exactly how interconnected they all are.

Still, sorry that I couldn't help! I have a few theories and headcanons that I could share based on what I know from the games, but other than that I don't know of any concrete reasons given by Atlus of what happened with the Kirijo Group prior to the game's beginning.

Also, tiny note for the studying session in this chapter, Japanese onomatopoeia for correct answers, often in quiz shows and the like, is "pinpon!" while the incorrect is actually less like a buzzer and more like… "bu bu". It's hard to describe. My Japanese language teacher back in high school used a little noise-maker whenever we had pop quizzes and it always made the class laugh, so when I thought of a study session going competitive, I thought of that. And Jeopardy. Classes always got excited over Jeopardy for some reason.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-One  
**

* * *

Minato found himself suspicious when Tamamo appeared to make a miraculous recovery overnight. He accused her of hiding it, but she insisted that she was feeling much better and told him to see her if he wanted. He did so in the middle of class, feigning falling asleep behind his textbook, and found that, while she admitted to being a bit sore (and her hair was quite a bit longer), she had spoken true. Even the skin on the back of her hand had returned to normal, the black fissures gone.

His surprise and question of how must have been obvious on his face, for Tamamo told him that Pharos had given her a boost somehow the night before. She didn't know how, but he had. Much of her body still ached, but it wasn't so painful anymore and she claimed she could feel her body adjusting to it all better.

Which was why, that night, when he was pulled from slumber straight into his mindscape, this time perched on a wooden fence in a grassy field beneath the stars, the first thing Minato did was thank Pharos for his help.

"I only did what I thought a friend would do," Pharos said in return. He giggled. "It's strange. It doesn't seem that long ago that I first met you both, and yet time has passed so quickly." He peered up at them. "Actually, I remembered something recently. About the coming of the end. It all goes back to an occurrence that took place many years ago… Ten years ago, if I remember correctly."

Minato snorted. "It seems like everything took place ten years ago." He yawned in the middle of rolling his eyes. "What a coincidence…"

"As if you actually believe that," Tamamo said mildly. When he only shrugged, she glanced over at the kid seated beside her. "Say, Pharos, I remember you saying something before, about how you can only make limited appearances or something. Why's that?"

Pharos kicked his feet out, the image striking Minato for its utter normality. "I'm not sure," he admitted. "I only know that there are times when I can't leave and times when I can. But I always get called back eventually."

Tamamo hummed, and Minato stole a peek at her face to find her contemplative. Then, she lifted a hand and ruffled the boy's hair—her customary sign of affection. "Okay. So! Do you guys want to hear another story?"

Pharos happily agreed and, curious as to what she would tell them, Minato did as well. He was tired and would probably fall asleep in the middle, but he didn't mind listening in for a while. And he was already in his head, anyway. The worst that would happen would be him just fading away from the mindscape.

Pleased, his Other went on, starting the tale of a little boy with a peculiar scar on his forehead, who lived in a cupboard under the stairs…

* * *

Things were still tense between SEES when they found themselves gathered around the dining table. Minato, who had been so preoccupied with Tamamo's sudden illness, nearly forgot why when he saw Yukari looking pointedly away from Mitsuru, who had her head down for once. The others were similarly uncomfortable, each one looking to the other in a silent plea to salvage the situation.

Eventually, Fuuka cracked first under the pressure. "Um… Y—You know, it's almost summer break! Do you guys have any plans?"

Junpei leaned his chin on his palm. "I wish I could go to the beach. Hot sand, cool breeze…" A perverted grin made its way onto his face, eyebrows lifting suggestively. "Babes in bikinis… Man, it sure would be nice! Somewhere in the south, where the water is crystal clear!"

"Exams," Minato reminded him.

His friend's head dropped with a small _thunk_ onto the table. "Dude. Why."

Fuuka smiled, amused. "Now, now. You'll be fine, I'm sure!" she comforted as the dorm's entrance clicked open. "But that sounds really nice, Junpei-kun. I would love to go somewhere famous for its beautiful beaches, too. Like… Like Okinawa!"

Shuji Ikutsuki strode in. "Well, it's not Okinawa, but how about Yakushima?"

They looked up simultaneously, but Mitsuru was the one to acknowledge him, breaking her silence. "Mr. Chairman… I didn't realize you were coming."

"I happened to be in the area, so I thought I'd drop by and tell you my schedule for the next week," Ikutsuki said with an easygoing shrug. "Mitsuru, your father will be vacationing in Yakushima during the break."

The redhead blinked in honest surprise. "He will…?"

The chairman nodded before addressing the entire group, "You'll all have some time off after exams, right? Why don't you go and pay him a surprise visit?"

Junpei all but hopped up from his seat in excitement. "Seriously!? We're gonna go on a trip!?" He pumped his fist in the air. " _Yes_! Beach babes, here I come!"

This drew Yukari out of her silence. She rolled her eyes. "Men."

"How about it, Mitsuru?" Ikutsuki asked, reminding them all that it was really her say.

Mitsuru stilled, unsure. "But… my father is a busy man. I don't want to ruin his vacation."

Ikutsuki chuckled. "Don't worry. No father would be upset with a daughter who came all that way to see him. You've all done a great job; you deserve to relax for a while. We already know when the next operation will be, so it should be fine."

 _There's that 'should' again,_ Minato noted. _Should, could, would. Is it right for me to be paranoid right now?_

" _Mm… I don't think so? Unless time and space decide to bump up the full moon night randomly, but even then the Shadow would be here in Port Island. Not Yakushima._ "

 _Please don't say a jinx like that._

Tamamo snickered.

In that time, Mitsuru agreed. "I guess everyone needs a break now and then." She nodded. "Let's do it."

This time, Junpei really did jump out of his seat, arms thrown up victoriously in the air. "Woohoo!"

As everyone chatted excitedly about the trip to come, Minato heard his Other give a wistful sigh. _Tamamo?_

" _Hm?_ "

 _Something wrong?_

Minato heard Fuuka comment that she had to go buy a swimsuit, reminding him that he would have to go out and get one for himself as well. Tamamo laughed. " _No. It's nothing much. I wish I could visit the beach, too. Really visit it, I mean. Not just see it._ "

And it was moments like those that Minato truly understood what she'd revealed about herself. That she had been alive, once, with her own body in a reality that existed outside of his. _…Did you visit the beach often?_

She hummed. " _I lived in a place called the 'Bay Area' for pretty much all my life. The ocean was never too far away for a visit._ "

Faintly, Minato remembered the days before his parents died and when his Other was still asleep in her little corner of his head. He remembered reaching out to her some days and being drawn into her inner world. Her dream world. Where there was a sunny beach with an endless sea stretched out before him, where a single tree stood on a small cliff with its many branches spread out, as if reaching for something across the water.

Then, Tamamo nudged at him and the memory vanished. Nearby, Junpei and Fuuka were talking with Akihiko now as he laid out his plans to train on the beach, trying to get him to relent a little and just have fun. " _Hey, enough of that. Go plan with your friends so you have something to really look forward to after exams._ "

Minato didn't try to pull back her attention, though he wanted to. He felt the words trying to form in his thoughts, trying to string themselves together in a way that she could understand without being offended. He wanted to tell her that he wished she was real sometimes, too, to stand beside him like the rest of SEES did. To continue the life she had inexplicably lost, even if it wasn't exactly the same for her in this reality.

Maybe if she had her own body, he wouldn't have to fear her disappearing on him. She would be tangible then, after all. He wouldn't have to go through feeling scared like he had been the day before or when he was a child, terrified that she would slip through his fingers when he least expected it and he would be left alone.

"Hey, Minato!" Junpei's voice dragged him out of his musing. "What d'ya think you're gonna do?"

What?

Minato stared. What was he going to do? What _could_ he do? How did Junpei even know what he was thinking—oh. He was talking about Yakushima. "…Swim, maybe? But maybe we should worry about exams first. Didn't you want to reschedule the study group?"

"Oh hey, that's right! Hey, Fuuka, wanna join in? Might get more stuff covered if there's more of us. And Yuka-tan—huh? Where'd she go?"

* * *

In the end, the study group was made as the exam week began. Junpei mourned the lost first day, but eagerly joined the others, intent on milking their knowledge for all it was worth to boost his own grades. As it turned out, even he had something to contribute to their sessions, remembering answers from class almost at random. There didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason to which ones he remembered, but it was a fun study game to see which ones he knew and which ones he didn't.

"What's the difference between Paleolithic and the Neolithic eras of the Stone Age?" Minato questioned.

Junpei scratched his head. "Uh… something about tools?"

"Pinpon."

"Is soap acidic, basic, or neutral?" Fuuka asked, lips twitching.

"Neutral?"

"Bzzt."

"Nope. Sorry, Junpei-kun. It's basic."

"What's one plus one?" Minato inquired.

Fuuka gave a polite cough to cover up her giggle as Junpei spluttered. "What's one plus… man, are you taking this seriously?"

"Yes. What is it?"

"Two!"

"Pin _pon_."

And with that dry delivery, Fuuka dissolved into laughter, earning a warning shush from the student currently minding the library's counter. She did her best to stifle it, but it escaped more and more as the boys continued their quiz session. By the time Yukari arrived, finished with whatever small errand she had to do for her club over the exam week, she found Fuuka giggling helplessly as Minato continued asking questions, making the appropriate quiz show sounds whenever Junpei answered right or wrong. The archer sighed, smacked them both over their heads and pulled out her own notebooks to join them.

They were eventually kicked out when Yukari and Junpei inevitably started bickering, the sounds from their group cited as disruptive to the other students' learning environment. Resigned, they returned to their dorm, Junpei grumbling the entire way about "not being _that_ loud", where they chose to continue their studying in the dorm lounge.

With no need to silence themselves there, Tamamo suggested they set things up like an actual quiz show. Junpei, desperate to try anything to improve his grade, agreed when Minato brought it up. Fuuka was similarly open to the idea, Yukari reluctantly following. In the end, it was their most useful studying method, though it quickly devolved into a competition between the more boisterous two while Fuuka and Minato watched them shout answers and explanations at one another.

When Akihiko returned to the dorm, he was bewildered enough to stick around and watch for himself. He later asked for an explanation on the rules. It wasn't the material of his year, but he eventually joined in, too, his competitive nature getting the better of him.

The next day, after class, they all returned for another round, with Fuuka and Minato pulling the questions out from their class textbooks. They included items from Akihiko's own class curriculum for bonus rounds.

Mitsuru, when she saw them, was utterly perplexed at their behavior. But, as it kept them studying, if a bit loudly, she saw no reason to complain. She never joined them, however, likely to keep a respectful distance from Yukari. Minato thought it was slightly disappointing, but was also secretly glad. She probably would have kicked all of their asses without batting a lash.

Thus, the exam week passed by quickly, the dorm livelier (and more educational) than it had ever been before.

(Sometime after, Tamamo would playfully complain to him about his Social Links hurting her eyes. Curious, he would go in to see them and find the ones belonging to SEES—both the group as a whole and each individual member—appearing less like strings and more like thick ribbons. The SEES Social Link, in particular, glowed especially bright.)

* * *

The day exams ended, Junpei celebrated like none other. "I'm done, baby!" he boasted in his usual dramatic tones. "The dark days of testing are finally over! The sun is shining bright!"

Yukari turned in her seat, raising a thin brow. "So how'd you do?"

He shrugged. "I dunno. But I know I aced P.E.!"

"Seriously!?" she cried. Minato surreptitiously leaned away from the aisle that separated him and Junpei, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire if she threw her pencil like she had when she got really frustrated during the game. "We beat all those answers into your thick head and that's all you have to say for yourself!?"

Junpei shook his head. "Oh, Yuka-tan. A real man doesn't dwell on the past! I'm thinking ahead to Yakushima!"

"Huh?" Yukari stopped short of grabbing her weapon—pencil. Minato gave a quiet sigh of relief. "Oh yeah, that's coming up soon, isn't it? I haven't even started getting ready yet…" She looked over Minato's way. "Have you?"

He shrugged.

She rolled her eyes. "Why am I not surprised?" Then, tapping her chin, she said, "I guess I should be more enthusiastic, huh? Well, I don't have practice today, so do you guys wanna do something?"

"Sounds good to me!" Junpei said. "Where're we going? If you need to buy a swimsuit, I'd be happy to help!" He waggled his eyebrows for good measure.

Yukari threw her pencil and it hit the brim of his baseball cap. "As if. Anyways, just give me a sec. I need to grab my stuff from the locker room… and get Fuuka from her class while I'm at it."

She stood and left after retrieving her writing utensil, leaving the two boys to clean up their supplies after her. After a short debate, they decided they would just meet the girls at the shoe lockers, Junpei shooting her a text message so she didn't bite their heads off for not warning her.

On the way down the stairs, Junpei patted Minato's shoulder. "Hey, seriously speaking, thanks for the help in studying, man. I dunno what my score is, but I think I did pretty well this time." He grinned. "Can you believe that? For once, I actually feel pretty good about it!"

"You knew more than you let on," Minato replied. And, for the hell of it, he briefly clasped Junpei's own shoulder. "Don't put yourself down so much. Dude."

Junpei trailed after him. As they waited for the girls to show, he made an understanding sound. "I get it now."

"Huh?"

"Nothin'." He shook his head, allowing an impish grin to take over his face. "So, Minato, out of the lovely ladies living in our dorm, which one's your type?"

He sighed. Junpei and his one-track mind. "Never thought about it."

"Whaaa? Bullshit, there's no way!" The other boy gaped. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." It was kind of hard to, when he had a girl living in his head to hear all his embarrassing thoughts.

" _Puberty was a very interesting phase for you,_ " Tamamo agreed.

He rested his case.

"Aw, come on, man! You can tell me! I won't breathe a word!" Junpei wheedled. Never mind the fact that they were standing out in the open where any one of their classmates could overhear. "Duuuuuude!"

"Junpei, we can hear your whining from the second floor," Yukari called from by the staircase, laughing. Fuuka walked along beside her, a smile on her face. "What're you boys talking about now?"

Sulking, Junpei shifted his grip on his bag. "Nothing…"

Amused, Yukari shook her head as they neared. "So? You guys ready to go?"

"Yep, just waiting for you two," Junpei said while Minato simply nodded. "Should we head to the mall first or…?"

"I dunno," Yukari replied as they switched out their shoes and headed out the doors. "I don't think I need to buy anything, really, and…" She blinked when they stepped out, looking to the side. "Akihiko-senpai?"

The other juniors followed her gaze to find the boxer standing off to the side at the foot of the stairs. His head lifted when he heard his name. He waved over his shoulder.

"What're you doing here, Akihiko-san?" Junpei asked as they walked over.

"Ikutsuki-san called me," was Akihiko's answer. He had a pensive expression on his face. "I think he wants to talk about a new candidate."

At that, they all straightened. After a moment in which they all just looked at one another, Yukari ventured, "Does that mean another person is going to join?"

"Maybe…" the senior murmured.

Just then, the door to the school burst open. A familiar head of burnt-orange hair came dashing out. "Fuuka!"

Surprised, Fuuka turned. "What's wrong, Natsuki-chan?"

Natsuki approached, giving courteous nods in greeting to everyone before explaining something about mandatory study sessions. Behind Fuuka, the other members of SEES exchanged a round of curious expressions. The last they had really seen of the girl, outside of brief glimpses in the halls or with Fuuka during breaks, she had been blubbering and still half out of her mind with fear of what she'd seen during the Dark Hour. Of course, those memories were gone now, but it was still a shock to fully see _her_ and not the paranoid mess she had become due to the Shadows' whispers.

When Fuuka apologized to them in order to keep her new friend company, they waved her off.

Junpei whistled. "Wow. Surprised how much she's changed."

"Both of them," Minato agreed.

"Ah, friendship…" Ikutsuki's voice sounded from behind them, full of admiration. They could hear his footsteps approaching, along with another, somewhat lighter pair. "How beautiful! Adolescence is such a wonderful thing! So full of vibrancy!"

"Mr. Chairman!" Yukari greeted, though she snuck numerous glances at his guest.

Minato didn't blame her. Ikutsuki allegedly called Akihiko to meet a new candidate for the squad… and it was a kid.

A _kid_.

"Hello. I just stopped by to pick someone up. Allow me to introduce you," Ikutsuki said, laying a hand on the boy's shoulder nearest him.

The boy ducked his head in a pseudo bow. "Hello."

"Hi, Ken-kun," Yukari returned. "What's up?"

"You know him?" Akihiko asked. His voice sounded off and when Minato looked, he saw the upperclassman staring at Ken, his eyebrows furrowed.

"This is Ken Amada," Ikutsuki introduced for the boys' benefit. "He doesn't leave during break because of his… circumstances."

Minato had yet to look away, still observing, and so he didn't miss the way Akihiko grimaced.

"Oh, I heard about that," Yukari said, somber. "Something about his parents…"

The boy, Ken, dipped his head. "It was only me and my mom, but she got in an accident, and she… she died. It happened two years ago."

"Right now, one of his distant relatives is paying for his school expenses," the chairman explained. "But staying at the elementary school dorm all by himself isn't proper for a child his age, so I decided to move him to your dorm for the summer."

Yukari jumped. "To _our_ dorm!? Do you really think that's a good idea?"

Ikutsuki smiled, amused. "Why, of course. He has the potential."

"Then…" Akihiko began. "Then, _he's_ the new candidate?"

"Yes, but as you can see, he's still just an elementary school student. So it's merely a possibility for now."

Ken, who had remained quiet as Ikutsuki explained his situation, peered up at Akihiko, dark eyes glinting with curiosity. "Are you… Sanada-senpai?"

Taken aback, Akihiko nodded. "Yeah…"

For the first time since they arrived, Ken smiled. "I've heard a lot about you. You haven't lost a boxing match yet!"

It was clear that the senior had little idea of what to do. With difficulty, he said, "Yeah, well… It's… It's nice to meet you…"

And as the boy got to speak with him, Minato watched Akihiko's reluctance to interact with no little interest. It was the first time he'd seen the older boy at a loss, and the troubled expression that flitted across his face every now and again as Ken spoke was doubly curious. He appeared to know Ken as well, but for a different reason than Yukari, who probably met and heard about the boy through the high school grapevine and her numerous connections with her other friends.

As the trio of juniors departed to hang out, leaving Akihiko to converse with Ikutsuki and Ken, Minato asked Tamamo what that encounter had been about.

His Other was silent for a long while before she finally replied, " _Do you remember what I told you about Shinjiro Aragaki?_ "

And then she left it at that, highly reluctant to spell it out for him, to let him work it out on his own.

He didn't recall everything she'd said until he, Junpei, and Yukari were sitting at the stools of Hagakure. He didn't know why it hit him just then, staring into the broth of his ramen, but he remembered.

" _About two years ago, he lost control of his Persona while eliminating a Shadow during a SEES operation…_ " she had said. " _It killed a mother who was with her son in the area._ "

And Ken Amada… he had just told them his mother was killed in an accident two years back.

Unsettled, Minato lowered his chopsticks. _Does he…?_

" _He knows,_ " Tamamo affirmed. " _And he's been planning to avenge his mother all that time. Very shortly, Shinjiro will also be drawn in to rejoining SEES, more or less for Ken's sake._ "

 _Because he seeks atonement,_ Minato thought bleakly.

" _Because he doesn't see any other option available._ "

"Yo, you okay?" Junpei asked, concerned. "You haven't touched your ramen. The noodle are gonna get all soggy if you don't eat it soon."

"Cat's tongue," Minato said absentmindedly. He stirred his bowl, watching its contents swirl after his chopsticks. "I was just waiting for it to cool down a bit."

Slowly, he started eating to keep his friends from getting worried, but his thoughts were elsewhere. _What do we do, then?_

" _I'm honestly not sure. It's a… delicate situation. You can't just slap the kid over the head and tell him 'revenge is bad!' and expect him to throw a tantrum and get over it. He lost his mother—no, worse, he saw his mother get killed and watched the supposed murderer get away with it, ending with the entire thing being written off as an accident by the police. He's bitter, furious, and has very little left to lose._ " She sighed. " _Let me think on it for a while. We've still got time. Enjoy it._ "

 _Pretty hard when you spring something like that on me,_ Minato tried to joke.

She chuckled. " _Yeah. I forgot this would happen so soon, but… it's important, so I wanted you to have time to soak it in._ " She patted his head. " _Don't worry. I'll be thinking on it a lot until the time comes that we should really act. This can't be rushed._ "

Given what she'd told him, it definitely couldn't be.


	22. YA-KU-SHI-MA START!

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Fun Fact: Part of the inspiration for this story comes from the Kirijo Group's motto, which is the quote provided in this story's summary (in case anyone's forgotten). I didn't write that part between Mitsuru and her papa out here, but it's certainly there behind the scenes!

Also, can I just say how much I love it when you guys make predictions in your reviews? Some of you can get quite close to the truth, and then some of you give ideas that I kind of wish I thought of! And I have to say that I'm proud no one had asked the generic "what's the pairing?" I like gen fics and I wanted this to focus more on friendships throughout the Journey… I mean, there _might_ be some romance, but I'm not exactly good at writing that, so I would set my standards really low if/when it shows up if I were you, haha!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Two  
**

* * *

On the ferry to Yakushima, Minato stood at the rails, watching the island grow closer as they approached. Beside him, Junpei whooped and cheered. Fuuka giggled somewhere behind them while Yukari sighed, exasperated.

"Awesome! There it is!" Junpei announced, as if they could have possibly missed it. "Ya-ku-shi-ma!"

" _Ya-ku-shi-ma!_ " his Other echoed. " _Minato! Minato, you too!_ "

Amused, he cupped his hands over his mouth. "Ya-ku-shi-ma!"

Junpei laughed even as the ferry's horn sounded, signaling their imminent landfall. Half of the group was quiet as they followed the more enthusiastic half in gathering their items and disembarking from the ferry. When they were all off, Mitsuru looked about the pier until her eyes settled on whatever she was looking for, lifting an arm to wave them over.

Within moments, a group of uniformed individuals appeared to take their luggage, transporting them to vehicles parked in the distance. Another few ushered the teenagers to another pair of cars, which they were told would take them to the Kirijo vacation home.

Minato sat with the boys in one car, breathing slowly and deeply with his music on low to drown out the feel of the vehicle. Beside him, Junpei let out appreciative sounds as he caught sight of the beach and, as Minato guessed, the elusive "babes in bikinis". Akihiko sat in the front seat, though he had been in a pensive mood since they met Ken Amada and wasn't up for chatting. He seemed to be lightening up, however, if the interested way he looked at the beach meant anything. So Minato supposed the vacation wouldn't be dragged down too badly by nobody being in the mood.

"Whoa…" Junpei said, awed, as he suddenly leaned forward in his seat. The car was slowing and Minato looked up ahead through the front window to catch sight of the mansion looming over them. It was quite elegant, with columns carved like Greek pillars, but simple in a way. Had it not been so large, he would have called the exterior plain.

The car parked and Minato stepped out, tugging off his headphones with a barely audible sigh of relief. He followed Akihiko and Junpei to rejoin the girls.

"They'll take care of your luggage," Mitsuru informed them, looking briefly at the maids who came out to greet the cars. She then turned on her heel. "I'll show you in."

With only a minor glance to where their bags were, they followed her up the steps and through the doors. Inside, even Minato to gawk at the obvious wealth displayed. It wasn't egregious by any means, but there was a certain air of luxury that permeated from the marble floors and the portraits spaced out on the walls. Even the decorative plants felt extraordinary in comparison to the common house plant.

"Wow…" Fuuka marveled.

"It's like we're in an episode of _Lifestyles of the Rich and Fabulous_ …" Junpei uttered, eyes wide as he tried to take their surroundings in. His attention was quickly brought down when a pair of maids approached them, bowing in unison.

"Welcome back, Milady," they chorused.

When they rose back up, one gave a kind smile as she looked over the group. "And you must be her schoolmates, correct? Welcome to the Kirijo vacation home." She and her fellow maid stepped to the side, gesturing down the path they came from. "Please, follow me."

Yukari was close to gaping, but seemed to catch herself before her mouth could fall the entire way. Still, she looked back at the others as they followed Mitsuru and the maids, perturbed. "Um. Is this the right place?"

"Dude," said Junpei, "real-life maids." When Minato didn't respond, he nudged him with his elbow. "Dude."

"I know." Minato sighed.

"I knew she was from an important family, but this definitely confirms it…" Fuuka mused as she glanced around the mansion's halls.

The group was mostly down the hall when an older gentleman entered from the opposite room. From his pressed suit, neatly done hair, and intimidating eyepatch, he was certainly _not_ one to be crossed. He stopped when he saw the group, single gray eye looking each of them over one by one before landing on Mitsuru.

"It's good to see you," she greeted courteously. But there was an obvious warmth lingering beneath her words—something Minato had never heard before.

The man's only response was a slow blink before continuing on his way. The entire party watched him leave in silence until he was out of sight and hearing range.

"Was that…?" Fuuka began, glancing nervously at their red-haired upperclassman.

"…her father?" Yukari finished.

Junpei shuddered. "Dude, talk about scary! He's not gonna make us walk the plank, is he?"

Akihiko rolled his eyes. "Don't be stupid."

Surprisingly, the joke got a chuckle out of Mitsuru. She dismissed the maids, who listened to her words without protest. "I can take things from here. Now, all of you, we won't be here long, but please make yourselves at home."

"Sweet! This is gonna rock!" Junpei cheered. His eyes eagerly darted from face to face. "Hey, wanna go to the beach? It's right there." He did a little dance, caught up in his own excitement and hype. "Dude, this place rules! Come on, let's go!"

"What, already?" Yukari balked. "I mean, sure, but let me get changed first!"

Junpei only grinned wider. Minato worried he would pull something. "Then I'll see ya there! I'm not gonna waste a single minute!"

And with Mitsuru's blessing, they were shown to their rooms so they could prepare. Yukari and Fuuka chatted along the way while Junpei rushed into his to change. As the others entered their rooms, Minato heard him tear back out again barely a minute later, eager to get to the beach. Akihiko left soon after, announcing to the hall that he would see the rest of them there and that he would try to contain Junpei.

Minato took his time getting ready, pulling out his clothes but mostly checking out the spacious room. It was clearly a guest room given the lack of decorations or belongings, but the real draw of it was the window and balcony that looked over the sea. Quietly, Minato set aside his swim trunks to push aside the airy curtains and open the doorway. He stepped out, enjoying the sea breeze and summer sun.

In the back of his mind, Tamamo took in a deep breath, as if she could feel it as well. Minato's mind returned to their earlier conversation and, though he was loathe to return her to a melancholic mood, he found himself curious.

… _Do you ever get angry?_ he asked. _About not having your own body, I mean._

He felt her surprise, and then, as he expected, a dose of sadness. " _Sometimes, yeah. Especially in the beginning, when I first woke up. I mean, I think I took it pretty well at first, but sometimes when there was nothing to do, all I did was think, you know?_ "

Leaning against the balcony's rails, he closed his eyes. He didn't dive, as this felt rather personal and he was unsure if she would want to see him, but he searched out her presence in his head, so very much a part of him and yet something uniquely her own. _Go on._

" _There's not much to say, really. I would just have these moments when I would think 'this is so unfair' and kind of mope for a bit… but I've never really been one to_ angst _. I think brooding's a bit of a waste of time, so I get annoyed when I catch myself doing it._ " She laughed. " _Sometimes I do wonder, though. Why I was put in your head or what it would have been like to have my own body in this world. Things like that. But then I'd think about_ you _and how worried I'd be for you if you were left to your own devices, so I figured things worked out for the better!_ "

He snorted. _You say that like I look for trouble._

She gave him a consoling pat. " _No, but trouble does look for you. And seriously speaking, I do think about it sometimes and go over and over about how unfair it is. But I think all these years with you have gotten to me, so when I think about a life where I don't know you the way that I do, it feels a little unfathomable. So, really, I think I'm right where I'm meant to be._ "

Minato blinked. Then, staring ahead, he tried to imagine the same thing. A life without her voice in his head, unable to reach her presence. He pushed down the usual anxiety that crept up his spine at the idea, earnestly trying to consider a life where he had never known his Other, or would only know her as another face in the crowd—close, but not too close.

When his mind blanked, Tamamo sighed. " _This is so very mentally unhealthy… For you, especially._ "

If he were being truly honest, he might have agreed. But.

 _I don't know,_ he said thoughtfully. _I think I've managed to grow up to be pretty balanced._

" _Well—_ "

Her words were interrupted when he heard a knock at his door. Turning, he called out to acknowledge the sound and Fuuka's voice drifted through. "Mitsuru-senpai, Yukari-chan, and I are just about to head out. Are you coming?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you there," he said, making sure his voice carried. "Go make sure Akihiko-senpai hasn't strangled Junpei."

There was a laugh and a promise to keep the peace before the footsteps trailed down the hall. Minato returned his gaze to the sea, savoring the quiet view before turning to finally go change.

* * *

By the time he arrived at the beach, the other members of SEES were fully enjoying the day. Fuuka, Junpei, and Yukari were wading in the water having some sort of splash war while Mitsuru watched from a chair beneath a wide umbrella. Akihiko was off to the side, stretching. Minato went to join him, waving to the others when they greeted him.

"Everyone seems to be having fun," Akihiko commented as Minato neared.

"I think we've earned it," he murmured as he loosened himself up to swim.

The senior nodded. "That's true… Our operations during the Dark Hour put a lot of stress on us, so it's good to relax a little like this. Rest up."

Minato felt the same. After completing a few basic stretches to make sure his limbs didn't cramp up on him, he took to the water. He shivered at the cold temperature before jumping in, letting the water immerse him fully as he swam out, surfacing when he felt he was a good ways away from the group. After looking back to ensure he wasn't too far out, he slicked his now wet bangs back and away from his face. He let out a breath as he let himself relax, floating on his back amidst the lulling waves.

And then he paused, returning to treading water when he felt someone watching him. His first thought was his teammates, but when he looked they were still by the sand. And there was no one immediately near them; the majority of the beachgoers were further down.

The feeling passed and Minato tried to relax once more, his muscles having tensed when he felt the weight of a gaze. Was he being too paranoid? His time fighting in Tartarus and trying to keep everyone alive and relatively uninjured certainly made him look out for danger in his surroundings more, but he had yet to devolve to jumping at every little thing that came around the corner. And he certainly didn't want to end up like that if he could help it.

Tamamo giggled.

He frowned, suspicion bubbling up. _Why are you laughing?_

" _Don't worry!_ " she sang. " _It's nothing dangerous. Honest. You'll find out soon!_ "

Resisting the urge to scoff, Minato dove underwater, deciding he would escape any possible onlookers by searching for shells beneath the waves. _That's not comforting at all._

His Other only giggled more, so he chose to ignore her and her nonsensical mutterings of, " _I can't wait!_ "

* * *

The members of SEES stayed out at the beach for a long while, alternating beach activities as the day went on. In honor of Tamamo, Minato stayed out swimming for as long as he was able, until his body grew too tired to keep floating. By that time, he all but dragged himself back onto the sand to rest beneath the umbrella that Mitsuru had vacated a couple of hours beforehand when she returned to the mansion.

Eventually, the remainder of SEES went back together, separating to relax after the tiring play in their respective rooms. Minato hit his bed and napped after showering, waking only when a maid inquired if he would join the others for dinner or take food in his room. He chose the latter, too tired to continue socializing, and returned right back to sleep.

He probably would have slept the rest of the night away had it not been for Mitsuru herself arriving to gather him and the others for an impromptu meeting with her father.

She announced herself with two short knocks on his door. Normally, he could have ignored such a simple wake-up call, but Tamamo more or less yanked him into consciousness in order to listen. "Arisato, I apologize for interrupting your sleep. However, my father wishes to speak to the group. Please get ready. A maid will be here to show you the way to his office shortly."

And then her footsteps tapped away to knock on another door (Junpei, if he remembered the layout correctly). Minato blearily sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and trying to locate the clothing he'd worn for the day, having already dressed in his pajamas. He shuffled around in the dark of his room to change before heading to the door. When he pulled it open, Junpei was waiting with the maid Mitsuru mentioned.

"Mitsuru-senpai said she found Yuka-tan and Fuuka earlier and sent them ahead," the other teen informed him. "She went to go find Akihiko-senpai outside." He cocked his head. "Did you really just go to sleep?"

Minato nodded. "'m tired…"

Junpei snickered. "That's so you. Anyway, just us here if you're ready to go." With an exaggerated grin, he nodded for the maid to lead them. She did so, politely ignoring their hushed conversations as to what the president of the Kirijo Group could want to say to them. They wound their way through the great halls, taking numerous turns that made Minato a little dizzy and had Junpei muttering about the rich.

The maid eventually stopped before a single door, indicating for them to go through with a smooth gesture of her hand, head tipped forward respectfully. The two boys stepped past her and entered the office, where they found Yukari and Fuuka seated around a table. Fuuka sent them a small smile, but it was quick to fade when the girl beside her failed to react to their presence.

While Yukari had not been completely enthusiastic about the trip, she gave off an almost gloomy air now. She didn't look up even as Minato and Junpei sat across from her and Fuuka, keeping her eyes trained on her lap, where her hands lay clasped. She didn't acknowledge even Mitsuru or Akihiko arriving and taking their own places in the room. The only thing she seemed to notice was when Mitsuru's father, the intimidating Takeharu Kirijo, strode into the office and took a seat before them.

The older man looked over them all, stern expression unwavering. He skipped the pleasantries entirely, getting right down to business. "From what I understand, Mitsuru has already given you the short version."

There was a round of nods and murmurs of confirmation.

Takeharu lowered his head briefly before speaking. "Well, it's true… We adults are to blame. If I could've atoned for it with my life, I would have done so… But now, I have no choice but to rely on you." His single eye closed briefly, then opened to focus on the empty space of the table. "What my father wanted to create with those monsters' power… was a time manipulation device."

His voice was grave, yet possessed such authority that it kept them quiet. Riveted.

Mitsuru spoke when no one else appeared able to, "That's what he was trying to do?"

Her father nodded and then painted a picture for them to visualize, "Imagine if you could control the flow of time… eliminate unwanted events before they occur. With such a device, you could shape the future to your liking."

"Damn," Junpei muttered. It was somewhat of a surprise to see that he was not awed by the idea, but rather incredulous. "That's insane…"

"However, under my father's direction, the research began to stray from its original goal," Takeharu continued. "In his later years, my father seemed to have only nihilism in his heart. Now that I think about it, his madness may have resulted from his struggle to break free from that…" Once more, his gaze swept over the members of SEES, lingering momentarily but noticeably on Yukari before he sighed. "It's only natural that you want to know the truth. And it is my duty to tell you."

The man did not move or do anything overtly, but Minato supposed he triggered something, for the large television set sitting opposite of them suddenly turned on. The lights in the office dimmed as an image came on screen.

"What's this?" Akihiko asked as the image darted in and out of focus, showing the interior of what looked to be a pristine laboratory, though the walls were dark and numerous alarms were flashing.

"This is the only existing footage of the accident," Takeharu replied crisply, staring directly at the screen with an unflinching gaze, "recorded by a scientist who was at the scene."

Then, as if on cue, a man's voice rang out from off-screen. "I pray that this recording reaches safe hands…"

Yukari straightened abruptly, as if she had been stung into proper posture. "That voice!?"

The camera jostled until a blurry figure came into view. It made Minato's eyes water trying to look at it to discern the man's features. Brown hair, pale skin, and plain clothes were all he could distinguish. The details were too fuzzy, more of a mass of colors blurring together. "My employer has become obsessed with a loathsome idea. This experiment should have never even been conceived… I'm afraid what I've done will result in an unprecedented disaster… But if I hadn't, the entire world may have paid the price…"

Fuuka gasped. "The entire world?"

"Please, listen carefully," the blurry scientist on the screen implored. Across the table, Minato noticed that Yukari's grip on her hands had her pale skin turning even whiter. "The Shadows that were amassed here have been dispersed as a result of the explosion. To end this nightmare, you must eliminate all of them! I am to blame for this. I knew the risks, but I was blinded by the promise of success… And so, I didn't raise any objections…" At the last moment, the image focused to show a haggard man, his dark eyes haunted as he stared into the screen. "It is all my fault…"

There was a sharp intake of breath as Yukari shot to her feet. Her expression was a picture of disbelief as the lights brightened. "Dad…"

Beside her, Fuuka looked at the now darkened screen before returning her eyes to Yukari in dismay. "You mean… that was…?"

But Yukari didn't reply, a look of abject horror stealing its way across her face.

Dark red eyes turned, beseechingly seeking an answer. "Father…"

"His name was Eiichiro Takeba," Takeharu explained, answering his daughter's unasked question. "He was the head researcher at the time… and a very talented man." He looked to Yukari, who had not moved from her spot. "But we are the ones responsible. We pushed him to continue the research. The Kirijo Group is to blame for his death."

For once, the Kirijo heiress was speechless. "I… I can't believe it…"

"So that means… my dad caused it all…?" Yukari asked, voice threateningly low. "The Dark Hour, Tartarus… the people who died in that incident… It was all his fault…?"

Akihiko leaned subtly back. "Y—You okay?"

The brunette sharply turned around, eyes blazing. "So that's why you were hiding this? Because you felt sorry for me? Is that it!?"

Mitsuru looked taken aback. "No, Takeba, I—"

"I don't want your pity!" Yukari screamed. Then, with a red face, she tore out of the room.

Silence rushed in at the wake of her passing as they wondered what to do.

Fuuka glanced from face to face before timidly suggesting, "Shouldn't someone go after her?"

Mitsuru's mouth opened to reply, but stopped short. She sighed deeply. "I doubt she'll listen to me… It will have to be one of you."

When her eyes fell on Minato, he instinctively grabbed the back of Junpei's shirt, hauling him up as he stood and ignoring his sputtering. Then, for good measure, Minato turned to Fuuka.

Her shoulders jumped, startled. "W—What?"

"We're going," Minato said simply, holding a hand out for her to take.

"All together?" she asked, shocked. But she still took his hand, allowing him to pull her up. "Wouldn't it be better if it was just one of us?"

"Maybe," he admitted as he steered them out of the room. "But misery loves company and she's been repressing this for too long. If she wants to yell, Junpei's her favorite target. If she needs a friend and a shoulder to cry on, you'll probably be better at comforting her than either of us."

"And what about you!?" Junpei yelped indignantly.

"I'm a soundboard," he replied simply.

* * *

It took barely any effort to find Yukari. She had not strayed far from the mansion, merely wandering out to stand on the beach. She looked up at their arrival and frowned when she saw them together.

"What do you guys want?" she muttered, folding her arms over her chest.

Taking a page from Tamamo's book, Minato sat down on the cool sand, indicating that he wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. A small tug had Junpei doing the same, while Fuuka meekly sank to her knees. "We're having a friendship moment."

Yukari scoffed, turning away from them to look back at the sea. However, Minato noticed that she didn't move further away.

When the other two shifted uncomfortably in the silence, Minato gave a quiet sigh. "Once, when I was little, I went to live with this uncle of mine and his wife for a time. They were always really kind and caring and never complained about my habits. They used to tell me all the time that they always wished they'd had a son like me and that they must have been blessed for the chance to have one, even if it meant my parents died." He gave a small, self-deprecating laugh. "I remember being happy when they told me because it was like I was going to have a family again. That I wouldn't have to move around anymore. But it turned out that, in the end, all they were really interested in was what my parents left to me in their will. It was a shock, to say the least."

And it had made Tamamo rant for weeks, her anger on his behalf nearly scorching before she reined it in for his sake. It had simmered for a good long while, though, and listening to her vent out her feelings had helped him sort through his own, for she had lashed out with better words than he ever could have.

When he looked up to the others, he found Junpei and Fuuka staring at him oddly. Yukari was still turned away, arms wrapped defensively around herself. Minato gave them both significant glances, letting his words hang in the air. He heard a soft intake of breath from the teal-haired girl, realization dawning on her face as she looked between him and Yukari.

"Um…" she started, drawing their attention her way. Yukari twitched, but didn't move. "I… My parents are… very strict. They both came from families made up of doctors, you see, but they didn't become doctors themselves…" She fidgeted, playing with the hem of her skirt. "They wanted me to succeed for them, I think, which is why they pushed me so hard to excel in my studies… But I have a weak body, so the stress often got to me, which might've only frustrated them more… It made life at home very stifling. It was why I was glad to be offered the chance to live in the dorm with you all."

A heavy silence fell between them, but Fuuka gave a quiet, almost content, sigh.

Junpei shifted. "Guess it's my turn, huh?" A halfhearted smirk pulled at one corner of his lips. Then, he straightened, cracking his neck. "Well, then, here goes. You'd better be listening, Yuka-tan! You see, I hate drunks. Can't stand 'em. My old man's the reason why. He was always drinking, y'know? He'd just sit there and drink, all by himself. And every time he did, he'd get violent over the stupidest stuff." A scowl made its way across his face. "When I was a kid, if I acted up in any way—or in a way that pissed him off—I'd get spanked. It hurt like hell. I remember that. And it's a really stupid thing to remember because now… now, he's lost what strength he had. Just… gone. And I didn't even notice it."

"Junpei-kun…" Fuuka murmured consolingly, reaching out to pat the top of his hand. He smiled weakly back at her.

When Minato returned his attention to Yukari, he found her staring back at them. She straightened when they made eye contact, lips twitching down into a frown. She looked away, shoulders tense.

"I said I don't want your pity," she bit out.

"No one's pitying anyone," Minato said calmly. "We're venting."

There was an intake of breath from Yukari as she made to respond, but nothing followed. The little trio on the sand waited for her to make her decision.

She turned, stomping over and sitting heavily on the sand, completing their lopsided circle.

Her head was bowed as she spoke, hands on the fabric of her jeans. "When my dad died, nobody knew the truth of what happened, so there were all sorts of rumors. Because he was in charge of the research team, people were really mean to me and my mom. We even had to move a few times." She shot Minato a dry smile. "But that whole time, I tried so hard not to let it get to me. I kept telling myself that it wasn't his fault… I loved him a lot, and I believed he'd never do anything wrong."

She gave a watery smile, throat clogging with emotion. Fuuka moved forward across the distance to sit next to her, and Minato shifted to accommodate them. "I received a letter back in the spring. It was from him, written ten years ago…" Yukari choked out a laugh, hand lifting to dab at her eyes. "It cracked me up 'cause even though it said 'to my family', it was pretty much all about me. And that only made me believe in him more. So when I found out I had a special power, I thought it was fate. I was scared, terrified, but I thought if I cooperated with the Kirijo Group, I might find out what really happened. That's why I agreed to fight using my Persona."

Yukari breathed out slowly. Shakily. Her raw feelings were plain on her voice. "But it turns out… all of that was for nothing. I don't… I don't understand. Why does reality have to be so harsh…? I tried so hard to fight my fear, and this is what I get… I don't know what to do anymore… What should I do?"

They remained silent as she collected herself, her question floating out into the open, letting the cool night breeze wash over them to the tune of the tide.

And then Junpei, the wondrous Ace Defective, snorted. "We're just a regular bunch of misfits, aren't we?"

Yukari's head snapped up and she shot him a look like acid. "Who're you calling a misfit, Stupei!? And what the hell, I ask a serious question and that's all you can say!?"

"Well, it's not like I know how to answer something like that!" he countered. "Hell, I don't think anyone can but you!"

Yukari growled, about to volley another string of her indignation his way when Fuuka interjected, "I'm sorry, but… it's almost midnight. We should probably be getting back…? Our senpai must be worried…"

The fire seemed to rush out of the brunette, for she sagged, huffing. "I had a feeling they asked you guys to come bring me back. But why all of you?"

At that, Junpei and Fuuka blatantly looked in Minato's direction. He shrugged in response.

"Figures." She rolled her eyes, but a smile drifted onto her face. "Thanks, though. For listening."

Fuuka smiled. "It's nothing, Yukari-chan."

"Yeah," Junpei agreed. "It's not like we could've just left you feeling like crap. What sort of friends would we be if we did?"

"Eloquent as usual," Yukari said sarcastically.

Minato trailed behind them as they walked back to the mansion only to pause, something in his spine tingling. He turned around, staring warily about the empty beach before hurrying after the others.


	23. That's Not a Tank

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : I guess I should apologize ahead of time that Operation Babe Hunt doesn't really appear? I tried writing it out, but Minato literally Did Not Care and Tamamo just devolved into a hyena. Suffice to say, there was very little deviation from the source material. Feel free to substitute it in if you want, though?

Also, if you're curious, the spell Tamamo uses at the end was inspired by the manga, _Negima! Magister Negi Magi_. The spell itself, "Endless White Nine Heavens", can be read about on the series' wiki.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Three  
**

* * *

On the beginning of day two of their vacation in Yakushima, Minato slept in and no amount of badgering from Junpei could persuade him to do otherwise. When he tried, going so far as to barge into the room to drag him out of bed, Minato only sent him a withering glare. It must have been effective, judging by the way Junpei scuttled back out of the room and slammed the door shut behind him. Not much later, when Minato heard Akihiko ask where their field leader was, Junpei only suggested to let him sleep and find them on his own time. Akihiko was dubious, but they left for the beach soon after despite whatever concerns the boxer had. Satisfied, Minato fell back into his dreams.

…Only to wake up when his cell phone started ringing hardly an hour later.

Annoyed, Minato debated whether or not he should pick up, glaring at the device from over his pillow. He checked the caller ID and saw Yukari's name. If he left it alone, it was possible that she would stop trying, especially if she figured he was at the beach with Junpei and Akihiko. On the other hand, if it were urgent and she had cause to keep calling, she would just as likely be pissed that he took so long to answer. And then he would be subject to her ranting. Even after her emotional turmoil and confession last night, she probably had a lot of anger left to burn.

Wincing, Minato sat up, trying to force the sleep out of his voice as he answered, "What?"

"Oh, good, you answered!" Yukari let out a sigh of relief. "Look, something's come up. Ikutsuki-san just called Mitsuru-senpai. Apparently, some sort of anti-Shadow weapon got loose from the lab—like a tank or something! He wants us to find it and capture it somehow."

It was only through sheer force of will that Minato kept his grip on his phone. He rubbed his hand over his face, repeating the words over in his head. An anti-Shadow weapon was loose on the island. And the chairman wanted their team to retrieve it.

Wasn't this supposed to be a vacation _away_ from all the stress?

"Where are you guys?" Yukari's voice asked through his phone. "Are you all still at the mansion? We're on our way back to get our gear, just in case."

"No," he managed to grumble. "I was sleeping in. Junpei and Akihiko-senpai are at the beach, though." He sighed. "I'll get ready."

"You were…? Oh… uh… sorry," the archer apologized awkwardly.

Minato hung up, unwilling to reply because he was rather irked at losing his sleep—even if the situation did call for it. Reluctantly, he dragged himself out of bed and to his suitcase, looking for an appropriate outfit to wear when hunting for a combat weapon out in the woods.

* * *

"Takeba has informed you of the situation?" Mitsuru asked the moment the girls returned.

Minato, who'd been waiting in the foyer, nodded. "Is there anything else to go by to look for it? 'Anti-Shadow weapon' is pretty vague as a description."

"The chairman was… less than forthcoming." There was a troubled furrow to her brow at the admission. "All he mentioned before hanging up was that the weapon had left the lab and that we were to handle it as swiftly as possible. He also mentioned that it would be unlikely that we could destroy it if it came to blows."

He sighed for the umpteenth time. And it was only morning. The day was already promising to be a long one. "So we have nothing of substance. Fuuka, do you think you'll be able to get a reading from that?"

"I'm not sure," the teal-haired girl admitted, wringing her hands as Mitsuru and Yukari left to get their equipment. "I can sense and locate Shadows easily enough, but anything else, I need detailed information about it to know what I'm searching for. It's possible, but…"

Ikutsuki probably knew that if Mitsuru and Akihiko kept him updated on whatever happened with their group. Which they clearly did. And yet he had given nothing, expecting them to work it out anyway. Just what was he trying to do?

" _Oh,_ " said his Other. " _I didn't even think about something like that… Is this another test?_ "

 _On what?_ he asked.

" _Well… If she really did leave the lab on her own, it's possible that he wants to see exactly why she became operable again. By not giving you guys the proper information to find her easily with Fuuka, he probably wants to trail her to see where she leads him,_ " she theorized. " _Of course, that's assuming that Ikutsuki, as one of the Kirijo Group's scientists, has the means of tracking her._ "

 _A lot of the things this guy does just seems incompetent at first, but when you look deeper the implications are pretty bad,_ Minato mused. _Did the stories in your reality talk about him?_

" _Not much. I just know that he's not exactly the nice guy that he acts like. I don't know the exact details behind his behavior beyond a few things. Just that it creeps me out._ "

"Minato-kun?" He blinked. Fuuka stared back at him worriedly. Her eyes darted to the stairs that Mitsuru and Yukari had gone up. When there was no sign of the two, she asked in a hushed tone, "Has something happened with Tamamo-chan?"

" _No time to play telephone. Let's try this new method out,_ " Tamamo muttered. There was a brief silence following her words before she spoke up again, " _Okay. Can you both hear me?_ "

Fuuka straightened. " _Y—Yes! I can!_ "

 _Figured it out?_ Minato asked, recalling her words that she would work on that little connection problem the first time so it wasn't so complicated.

" _Somewhat. Anyways, Fuuka, I don't know what the chairman's thinking, but I do know about this anti-Shadow weapon he's trying to make you find._ "

" _You do?_ " the navigator asked, her expression reflecting her surprise. Minato supposed he should tell her to try to school her face, but it was kind of amusing to watch. " _Would you help us find it, Tamamo-chan?_ "

" _As if I would do otherwise,_ " his Other scoffed. " _Oh, and by the way, try not to show your reactions too much. I doubt anyone would think you're having a conversation with me, but they might wonder if you're talking to yourself._ "

At that, Fuuka's face burned red. She ducked her head to hide it. " _Oh! I'm sorry! This is still so very strange and new to me…_ " Her face lifted, sending Minato a wondering look. " _You must be very used to this, though, Minato-kun. You can keep your face so straight!_ "

" _Don't be too amazed, Fuuka,_ " Tamamo teased. " _This guy's face just naturally has all the emotions of a rock._ "

A laugh sputtered out of Fuuka before she could stop it. She clasped her hands over her mouth as Minato shook his head in exasperation. " _T—Tamamo-chan!_ "

" _Sorry, sorry!_ " She certainly didn't sound apologetic. " _Back on topic, the first thing you should know about this anti-Shadow weapon is that 'it' has a name. And a perceived gender, for that matter. Her name is Aigis._ " Following the name, a picture of a cute girl with short blonde hair, pale skin, and blue eyes was sent to them. Minato knew it reached Fuuka by the way her shoulders jumped. " _I imagine I don't have much time until Mitsuru and Yukari return, so I'll make this quick. Aigis is a robot—an android, if you will—that was built by the Kirijo Group in order to combat Shadows. She was given such a human face so that she could identify with humans, as well as a special 'heart', which grants her a psyche and thereby allowing her the power to summon a Persona._ "

"That's definitely not a tank," Minato mused.

" _An android… with a Persona…?_ " Fuuka repeated, amazed.

" _Yeah. She's about the last in her line since the Kirijo Group seems to have stopped building them. She takes her duty very seriously._ " Tamamo quieted as Mitsuru and Yukari descended the stairs. " _I hope that's enough. But if you guys can't get a reading, try the beach._ "

" _Okay. Thank you, Tamamo-chan._ "

" _No problem._ "

"Yamagishi, have you checked the island?" Mitsuru asked as she and Yukari approached.

Fuuka shook her head. "No, I was just about to." When the upperclassman inclined her head for her to do so, Minato handed her his Evoker. She took it gratefully and turned the barrel on herself, pulling the trigger. Lucia's body formed in the light and she set to work.

* * *

It took Fuuka a while to pinpoint a location, but she gave a tentative area in the direction of the beach. Minato wasn't sure if she had actually found the weapon—Aigis—or if she was simply going by Tamamo's suggestion. Still, Mitsuru and Yukari accepted it, even when Fuuka told them that she could be wrong. It was, according to them, a better place to start than nothing.

"We can pick up Akihiko and Iori along the way as well," was Mitsuru's additional reasoning.

So, gear in hand, they left the mansion's walls and set down the path to the beach. There were more people around that day, scattered about the different chairs and parasols set up on the sand. When they made it to the area they'd been situated at before, there was no sign of the other two boys.

"Geez!" Yukari exclaimed as she looked about, high and low, for their missing teammates. "Where could they be!?"

"Well, they've at least been here, I think," Fuuka said, walking to the table that was left to claim "their spot". She picked up a slip of paper that was lying on its surface, smoothing out its crinkled corner. "They seem to have read our note about going to the Jyomon-Cedar Tree."

"Can you sense them without your Persona?" the brunette asked, brown eyes critical as she stared at the groups of people along the beach.

"Not well," the navigator confessed. "I think I can vaguely pick out certain presences, but Lucia helps narrow it down. Her range is also much larger than mine is."

"It appears we'll have to search for the anti-Shadow weapon on our own and hope we run into them on the way," Mitsuru said. "Where did you last sense it, Yamagishi?"

"Huh? O—Oh, it was further down the beach," Fuuka stammered. "I saw, um, it by the dock."

"Then we'll head there," the redhead confirmed. "If we don't find anything, we'll try to find a secure location where you can summon your Persona again."

* * *

As the girls plus Minato wandered down the beach, they eventually came across Junpei and Akihiko. The latter of whom looked quite annoyed as the former appeared to try to talk him into something. Minato would recognize Junpei's persuading stance anywhere.

"Oh, there you guys are," Akihiko said when he saw their arrival. Junpei stopped talking beside him as they approached. "Good timing. Junpei here wouldn't shut up about some stupid idea on how hanging out at the beach needs girls around to be complete."

"Operation Babe Hunt is not a stupid idea!" Junpei protested, indignant.

Yukari's expression went flat, eyebrow raised. "'Operation Babe Hunt'…? Seriously?"

"Well, what else were a couple of guys like us supposed to do?" he asked defensively. "You ladies weren't around and Minato was just gonna sleep so it was just us here…"

"I was just going to go train…" Akihiko griped.

"Would you stop with the training? We're on vacation, Senpai!" Junpei cried.

"Not that this isn't entertaining," Mitsuru interrupted their bickering, "but we have a situation."

That shut both boys up quickly.

As Mitsuru roughly caught them up on events, Minato noticed that Fuuka had wandered a bit off to the side. He trailed her, curious, and found her staring at the dock. When he followed her gaze, he paused when he saw a familiar-looking blonde standing at the end of the wooden platform.

Not looking away, he called over his shoulder, "Senpai… I think we found her."

Mitsuru's voice trailed away and she joined them, the others following. "You've located the weapon?"

"I think so," Fuuka said. Slowly, her hand rose to point out the figure standing on the dock. "I'm fairly sure that that's her."

"What?" Yukari yelped. "But that's—that's a girl!"

"Are you certain, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked.

Fuuka was quiet as she stared at the girl, the android, who gave no indication to sensing their presence even as they watched her. Then, "Yes."

"All right, then. Everyone, take on a position to intercept her should she try to run. When everyone's ready, we'll attempt to make contact. Is that clear?" There was a round of nods. "Good. Let's go."

Gradually, their group drifted apart, but they made sure to keep each other in sight. Tamamo nudged Minato to an area closest to the dock, which, considering he had his Evoker handy, was probably a better idea than any other.

" _Make noise,_ " his Other suggested to him when he'd been making efforts to keep his footsteps quiet against the sand shifting beneath his feet. " _She'll want to see you._ "

 _Me?_

" _Yes,_ " she said simply. " _This is an important meeting, Minato._ "

There was something significant in her tone when she spoke, but she did not elaborate any further. After only a moment of hesitation, he stopped short of hiding behind the large boulder he'd been heading towards and instead scuffed his foot against a large stone lying half buried in the sand nearby. It wasn't a loud sound by any means, but the android on the dock, the so-called anti-Shadow weapon, turned at the sound.

When her eyes fell upon him, he felt a familiar tingle emanate from the base of his neck before running down his spine.

That was the gaze, he knew. The one that had been watching him yesterday.

He kept still as she stared at him, an impassive expression on her face. Along the sides of his vision, he saw his friends tense up, ready to spring into action if necessary.

The blonde moved, turning smoothly in place and walking towards him. As she approached, Minato saw the more robotic pieces of her appearance, mostly hidden by the plain blue dress that she wore—details that he might have missed if he had not been actively searching for them. In a way, he was somewhat relieved she had such clearly robotic features beyond her human face. The idea of facing an android that could not be picked out of a crowd of humans was a bit unsettling.

She stopped several feet before him, blue eyes trained on his face.

"Arisato…" he heard Mitsuru somewhere off to the side, but whatever else she would have said was lost when the android before him spoke.

"You are…" Her voice was stilted and void of inflection, even in those two simple words. She stopped herself, head turning to where the others had started closing in, freezing them in their tracks. Her eyes went fleetingly back to him before sweeping over the area behind him. "Initiating evasive maneuver. Confirmation must be made at a secure location…"

The words were announced clearly enough for them all to hear, even though she was saying them to herself. Before Minato could react—evasive maneuver; that was an obvious indicator of what she planned to do—she darted around him, dodging Akihiko's attempt to grab her wrist on her way into the forest.

"The heck was that!?" Junpei exclaimed.

"What did she say, Arisato?" Mitsuru asked as they gathered around him.

Minato stared in the direction that the android fled in. "She called a retreat for herself… said she had to confirm something in a secure area."

Yukari frowned, bewildered. "What does that mean?"

When he shrugged, Mitsuru straightened. "Whatever the case, it appears that she is receptive to your presence. We will follow her—but you will need to lead us at a distance to see if she will be lured in."

In other words, he was bait.

Wonderful.

Still, the android—Aigis, as Tamamo called her—had not appeared hostile. She had clearly been observing him since yesterday, but, while that was rather creepy, she had not done anything to harm him or any of the others even when they had been unarmed and vulnerable.

Agreeing to head in first, he set off down the path that Aigis had taken, keeping alert for any flashes of blonde through the foliage. His teammates waited for him to gain a sufficient distance ahead of them before following. If he listened carefully, he could hear their footsteps behind him.

Eventually, the path opened up into the clearing dedicated to the Jyomon-Cedar tree, which loomed over the area in a rather majestic way. A quick glance around told Minato that the android was hiding behind the sign detailing what the tree was. She peeked out briefly when he stopped near the middle of the clearing before stepping out into view.

"Now I am certain," she said, voice monotone. "I have found you."

Before he could comprehend what was happening, she ran to him, coming to a stop not a few feet away and placing her hands on his chest. He twitched slightly at the feeling of the cold metal even through the fabric of his shirt. She peered up at him with clear eyes, seeming intent on memorizing his face. He heard various exclamations of confusion and shock at her sudden action. They amplified at her next words, spoken in an almost earnest tone.

"I have been searching for you," she said. "My highest priority is to be with you!"

"Even a robot!?" Junpei cried. "Dude, that doesn't even make sense!"

"Shut up, Stupei!" Yukari hissed.

At once, the rest of SEES poured into the clearing, an air of uncertainty shrouding them as they took in Minato and Aigis standing in the middle. Aigis, for her part, did not seem threatened by their sudden appearance, though Minato had little experience in being able to tell an android's emotions. Still, she made no move to retaliate even as Mitsuru took a cautious step forward.

It was then that another figure walked into view from another of the connecting pathways in the forest.

"Thank goodness," Ikutsuki said with a sigh. "You had me worried, Aigis. You know that you don't have permission to leave the lab on your own."

Aigis did not respond, looking to Minato first before going to the chairman's side like a scolded puppy.

"Um, is anyone going to explain what the hell's going on?" Junpei asked. "I mean, Mitsuru-senpai gave us the bare minimum but… seriously, what the hell's going on."

* * *

After Junpei's plea, Ikutsuki had them return to the mansion, spouting apologies and gratitude the entire way for taking control of the situation and finding the lost asset. They followed him warily, keeping a wide berth around him and Aigis, who had situated herself between the chairman and Minato, who trailed behind.

When they were back in the vacation home, he had them brought to the lounge, sending Aigis away as he instructed them to sit down and relax. Junpei and Akihiko also took the time to return to their rooms for a change of clothing. When they rejoined the group, Ikutsuki began.

"I apologize for all the trouble," the chairman apologized for the umpteenth time. "Everything is under control now."

"It was nothing, really," Fuuka insisted, a worried furrow to her brow. "But where is…?"

A light tapping approached the group on the tiled floor. Ikutsuki sent a smile over his shoulder before lifting an arm, beckoning the android over. "Come here, Aigis. No need to be shy." She obeyed and Ikutsuki turned back to the others with a proud grin. "This is Aigis. As you can see, she's a 'mechanical maiden'."

And she was. Without the covering of the long dress she had been wearing before, it was easy to see the metallic details of her frame. Her parts were definitely put together in a way that resembled a human, but other than her realistic face, the rest of her body was clearly comprised of inorganic material.

"I am Aigis," she intoned. "My mission is to destroy Shadows. I have been assigned to SEES, effective immediately."

"No way…" Yukari uttered in disbelief. "It's like she's… alive…"

Akihiko was similarly shocked. "This is unbelievable."

Junpei, on the other hand… "She's so cute, but… she's a robot…"

"Anti-Shadow weapons were created ten years ago to combat uncontrollable Shadows," Ikutsuki explained for their benefit. "Aigis was the last to be made… and she's the only one that still remains today."

Mitsuru, who had looked thoughtful during the introduction, posed a question, "An anti-Shadow weapon… Does that mean she…?"

"Yes," Aigis answered for Ikutsuki. "I am capable of operating the Persona 'Palladion'."

The chairman nodded, expression a tad regretful as he gave the following news, "She suffered major damage in combat and has remained in the lab ever since. It's still unclear as to why she suddenly reactivated herself this morning…" With a shrug, he added, "Still, I hope you'll all get along."

Fuuka was starry-eyed. "An anti-Shadow weapon with a will of her own… This is amazing!"

It was certainly something, Minato concurred. He was somewhat unsettled when he noticed that Aigis's gaze had fixated back on him. It was flattering, to be sure, especially considering she did look like a cute girl, as Junpei mentioned. But something just didn't feel quite right about it all.

The fact that Ikutsuki had also witnessed her fixation did not help matters at all.

"Perhaps her identification system is malfunctioning… Or maybe she's still half-asleep. This is quite interesting." He smiled disarmingly, but all Minato felt was the urge to either run or maybe punch him in the face to get rid of it. "Oh, and I forgot to tell you all, but you can participate in a wide range of recreational activities here. There's a tennis court, a pool table… even a karaoke machine. Would you care to hear me sing?"

As the others melted into conversation, Ikutsuki chuckling as they declined his offer, Minato chose to go with his instincts and slip away. It was difficult, as Aigis followed him with her eyes, but he made discreet gestures for her to stay, hoping that she understood.

Her head tilted and she looked ready to make a step forward, but was stopped when Fuuka tentatively approached her with a greeting.

Thanking the navigator for her timing, Minato fled, eager to have some time to himself.

* * *

His wanderings took him back to the forest for an evening walk, enjoying the peace and avoiding other tourists along the way. When night fell, he relocated to the beach, not wanting to get lost amidst the trees. He rolled up his pants and took off his shoes to walk along the water, enjoying the simple solitude.

Once or twice, he paused to answer a text from one of the others asking him where he was. He only told them that he was out and not to worry. The mansion was still in clear sight and he could book it if need be. But he doubted it would be necessary as, outside of the minor scare that Aigis had given them when she got loose and they had no idea what she was capable of, the island was relatively peaceful.

He didn't worry even when midnight hit and the world faded into the Dark Hour. He still had his Evoker with him, if not his sword. And anyway, he wasn't alone. As she'd proven in the previous Full Moon Operation, Tamamo was capable of assisting him in battle, even if only in defense.

"So this is the sea…" Pharos materialized beside him, hands clasped behind his back as he stared out at the large body of water—turned nauseatingly red, due to the hour—before them.

Minato didn't even blink at this point, so used to the boy's spontaneous appearances. Normally they were when he was already in bed (and, recently, pulled straight into his head rather than Pharos simply appearing outside), but he supposed this wasn't too unusual. "You've never seen it before?"

"I don't remember," the boy told him honestly. "But I don't think so. Not like this."

He didn't quite know what "this" meant, but he figured it had something to do with being on the beach. Port Island had a view of the sea from various points, after all, but nothing quite so up close and personal, like Yakushima.

" _The ocean is a beautiful sight,_ " Tamamo said. " _It would be nicer to show you when it's not corrupted by the Dark Hour, but I think this ruby sea has its own little charm, too._ "

"You mentioned that you liked water," Pharos noted absently. "You said that it comforted you."

Minato thought back to when she was in pain, as much as he loathed to remember the helpless feeling that came with it, and how he had entered his mind to find himself floating in deep water. It made sense.

" _Yes. I used to think I had an affinity for water, actually, though I suppose now it was just bias,_ " she told them with a laugh. " _I really loved mermaids as a kid, you see, and it stuck with me when I got older._ "

"…Your affinity is electricity." The difference was striking, Minato thought with no little amusement.

His Other huffed. " _I know. There goes my hopes and dreams that if I ever managed to get a Persona, it would be a mermaid! And actually, for your information, I have two affinities._ "

"Two?" Minato raised a brow. "When did you find that out?"

" _A little while ago, actually,_ " she told him. " _Apsaras got along well with me and Orpheus said something about our power being in sync. I didn't really try until just recently, but I can manage a weak Bufu-type spell… lightning just answers my call first and easiest._ "

Briefly, his mind returned to the early days in the dorm, shortly after the world of Personas and Shadows were revealed to him fully in the form of Tartarus. He, Junpei, and Yukari had sat around discussing the next upcoming run and the brunette mentioned something that caught his attention. She had told him about the affinity of Io, in how she withstood wind spells but that electricity was her weakness. At the time, she had been very specific about her wording, mentioning that she, herself, did not have such weaknesses or strengths, but that her Persona had them.

For Tamamo to have such a thing, and to be capable of powers that he and the others couldn't use unless they summoned their Persona, what did that make her?

"Are you sure you're not secretly a Persona or something?" he asked dubiously.

" _I'm pretty sure._ " She laughed. " _Hey, Pharos. Want to see something interesting?_ "

The boy peered curiously up into Minato's eyes, staring straight to where Tamamo was beyond them. "What is it?"

" _Minato, hold out your hands,_ " she instructed.

He did as she asked, holding out his hands with his palms up in easy sight of Pharos, who waited expectantly.

She hummed, pleased. " _Good. Now, don't be alarmed…_ " Her voice trailed off and Minato was left to wait with the mysterious boy for whatever she wished to show them.

His shoulders jumped when something sparked into existence over his palms. Eyes snapping down, he watched, riveted, as what looked like a weak tendril of lightning danced over his hands. It arched and he held his breath when the air cooled significantly in its wake, leaving a trail of ice behind. On and on, the tiny spark of lightning danced and zigzagged its way through the space above Minato's hands, and ice followed after it, crystalizing the path that the lightning took.

When the lightning eventually tapered off, he was left holding up a twisted ice sculpture that resembled a wreath of vines.

"That is interesting," Pharos observed, looking the item over.

" _Isn't it? And it's the first elemental spell I've ever produced outside of your head, Minato! It's not much, but, well, at least I think I know how to do it now._ "

"How _did_ you do it?" Minato asked, turning the ice over in his hands. "It doesn't make any sense." Lightning was hot. How had the ice managed to cover the lightning's trail like that?

" _I was inspired by a spell from this manga I used to read, admittedly. Something about the ice continuously freezing anything in the lightning's path._ " She shrugged. " _I doubt I'll be able to use it much. It's not meant for damage, but rather to trap and bind._ "

Minato held the ice up closer so Pharos could see it more clearly, lost in thought.

Fuuka had mentioned that his Other was possibly growing stronger after her episode. He hadn't given it much thought at the time, grateful only that she wasn't disappearing on him. But now, confronted with that display, he couldn't help but think back on it.

Gradually, Tamamo was evolving her own power. And as fascinated as he was by what she was now developing, he couldn't help but think about its implications for the future.

Because all of it felt like it was leading to something—something big—and he had no idea as to what it could be. On one hand, it frightened him a little, as the future tended to do. But on the other, he was almost looking forward to it.


	24. Trouble Brewing

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Hm. It appears my family's decided to go to Disneyland this upcoming weekend after Thanksgiving (we're leaving at, like, four in the morning on Friday, _ouch_ ). So I might not be able to complete my little challenge. I was doing pretty well, too! But I figured I'd let you guys know in case I don't get to update the 27th onward ahead of time.

After November ends and this challenge is over, though, I'll probably get to a less crazy updating schedule. Maybe once every week or two? Something like that.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Four  
**

* * *

The third day in Yakushima was relatively uneventful—in comparison to the first two days, at any rate. Minato got to sleep in and woke up when Yukari knocked on his door, asking if he would join them for another day on the beach. Junpei had insisted, apparently, but was unwilling to try to wake the other boy himself after yesterday morning's experience. With Tamamo chortling over the image of Junpei hiding behind Yukari as a human shield, Minato agreed, saying he would meet them there.

Once he arrived, just as on the first day he found SEES playing in the water, though this time they were accompanied by Aigis, who stood observing them from a short distance, and Ikutsuki, who sat beneath the beach umbrella. Minato joined them after giving the chairman a short greeting and, though he was still a little unsure about Aigis and her declaration to stay by his side, he tried to pay little mind to her attention.

As the day went on, she reminded him a bit of a child, from the way she watched their interactions so curiously. She gave literal opinions and advice when they spoke to her and seemed to have little idea as to what to do out in the water with them, though she insisted on staying because playing as a group was "optimal for deriving enjoyment from an activity".

It would certainly be interesting having her around, he thought as he helped Fuuka construct a rough sandcastle. Aigis crouched nearby, helping gather sand into piles beside them, picking out bits of larger rocks and shells as she did so.

Smiling a little at the sight, he shook his head, picking up a few of the shells set off to the side to press into the castle's walls.

He sensed many shenanigans ahead with her joining.

* * *

When SEES returned home to Iwatodai, Tamamo was relieved. But although it was a bit sad to leave behind the beaches of Yakushima, given all that they went through in just those few days, she felt it was for the best. They'd learned a lot, even if it wasn't exactly what they'd wanted to hear, and had grown closer for it. They had even acquired their newest party member, though they were swiftly going to earn a few more in the days to come.

Now, however, in the short amount of downtime Minato had after returning to the dorm, Tamamo couldn't keep her thoughts from wandering. Something that he had said bothered her more than she liked to admit, no matter how casually she'd put it off at the time. In fact, when he'd asked her if she was actually a Persona, she had laughed. She'd thought it was silly, a joke, but when she thought about it… When she pieced together the line of reasoning he'd thought of just moments before he asked… Suddenly, it wasn't all that funny anymore.

She wasn't, was she? A Persona, that is?

She was human. Or formerly one. But what did that mean, exactly? She knew that on one level it meant exactly what it said: she had been human and then she allegedly died, allowing her soul to migrate across dimensions before it was eventually snatched up and brought to his mind. But on that note, why? Did it mean that his latent potential had identified her as a Persona and drew her in to join his sea of souls only for her to get stuck halfway when it realized she wasn't? Or was it something else, like her botched reincarnation excuse?

" **You are distracted,** " Orpheus's voice drew her out of her thoughts.

"Ah… Sorry," she apologized. "I was just… thinking."

" **About?** "

She felt lost. "Uh, something I probably should have thought about a long time ago." But hadn't because she was trying to repress the fact that she was dead. "Hey, Orpheus, what do _you_ think I am?"

The Master of Strings stared at her with gleaming eyes. It was disconcerting, especially coupled with the fact that his face was really just an immovable mask. After a moment, he gestured off to the side where she'd made a bench in a silent request that they take a break. She didn't actually need to sit to rest, but it was a familiar action from when she was alive so she always did it… Before, it used to be a comfort, but now she felt uneasy at the idea of pretending to be what she wasn't. Still, she followed him and sat down while he floated nearby.

" **Why is it that you ask?** " he inquired after she situated herself.

Tamamo felt a twinge of annoyance when he avoided answering her question, but if living in Minato's mind had taught her anything, it was patience. "Well, I know that I was human in my… past life. But that was before. Now, when I'm like this, just a soul without a physical body to call my own, I just… I don't know what I am anymore. On one hand, I would like to describe myself as a 'human' soul, but… I've never really thought that souls had a particular form."

She hadn't been particularly religious when she was alive in her world. Much of her family on her father's side, with whom she'd interacted with more, were, but she took after her mom. While she certainly believed in some higher force being out there, she didn't limit it to a single concept. As such, she researched and pieced together her own little beliefs, and one of them was the idea that the soul was not particularly bound to one life. It could be human at one point, but, say, a badger the next.

The fact that she took on a human appearance _now_ was simply because she'd created the shell on her own.

"…I told him that I wasn't a Persona, but…" She drew her legs up to her chest, resting her chin on her knees as she curled around herself. "But what if I am, and I just don't know it? I've gone on for so long believing that I was 'simply human'… and yet humans aren't capable of the things I can do now. Not alone, at least. Not without Personas." The more she thought about it, the more her fear grew. "Have I just been fooling myself all this time?"

She didn't know why this meant so much to her, to know what she was, but it did. It was irrational, but it still scared the hell out of her to think that she could be losing what little of herself she thought she'd had since waking up. If she couldn't answer even this basic question about herself, then what good was she?

What use was a thing that couldn't be defined?

A gloved hand pressed gently on top of her head. Tamamo didn't need to look up to know that Orpheus was floating before her now.

" **What you are,** " he began slowly, enunciating clearly and in a way that calmed her down significantly, " **can only be defined by what you** _ **think**_ **you are.** " His hand left her head as he drew himself tall, gazing down at her in an almost imperious manner. " **I am Orpheus, Master of Strings. I bear the memories of a life that is remembered as mere myth and legend, but does that make me a myth? Does it make me any less real? Or my dear Eurydice? I know who I am, but I also know** _ **what**_ **. For I am also a Persona, called forth from the sea of souls as a facet of both his and your personalities. It matters little whether I was one thing before and another thing after, for I acknowledge that both are a part of me and that I am myself.** "

"But…" she started to protest only to pause. "Wait, sorry, off-topic, but you mentioned something similar before. When we fought against the Arcana Lovers, you called Minato's mindscape ' _our_ ' mind. But it's really just his. And sort of yours, I guess."

" **Correct,** " he replied. Tamamo's face fell when he didn't seem to understand.

"So it's yours," she stressed. "Not mine. Or ours."

The Persona's head tipped his head. " **It was from the depths of his soul that I rose from,** " he acknowledged, " **but it was your call that I answered.** "

Had it been any other time, she would have found it funny how he replied in the same way that Minato had described Orpheus's first appearance.

" **Your connection to him is strong,** " Orpheus continued. " **My existence and capabilities are proof of that. And you are your own, regardless of how you feel you've gone astray from your identity.** "

He then lifted his hands, palms facing out in her direction. It was a familiar pose—the same one they had practiced in when she was first experimenting with her lightning abilities. Tentatively, Tamamo unfurled from her seat and stood, lifting her hands until they were opposite of his.

A familiar spark came to life between their fingertips, lively and warm.

" **Do not worry,** " he bade her. " **The answer to your existence will come to you in time. Until then, have faith in our bond. Trust in it to not let you falter, as he does.** "

"Faith," she murmured, staring at the spark that glowed between them.

This was the second time, amongst many smaller instances, that she had expressed her lack of faith in Minato, wasn't it? By becoming so frantic alone, wasn't that the same thing as saying that she didn't trust him to catch her when she fell or, in this instance, find her when she felt lost?

…She had been growing in power recently. And she let that cloud her mind and make her feel entitled to be more independent when she still had so much to learn.

"Faith," she repeated, voice thick with disappointment in herself. Tamamo forced herself to look up at Orpheus, sending him a shaky smile. "Thank you. And I'm sorry. For not…"

For not trusting in you or him, was what was left unsaid.

" **It is natural to doubt oneself from time to time,** " he soothed. " **It is very human, you could say.** "

And she laughed. Because even though it wasn't particularly funny, he'd made the effort in his own dry way.

So very like Minato.

* * *

When Minato woke up not to his alarm, but a very out of place blonde android, he felt he could be forgiven for nearly falling off the bed in his shock.

"…What are you doing in my room," he tried to ask, but his effort to keep his voice level and calm went too far and rendered the question into a flat statement.

Aigis looked at him unblinkingly. "My highest priority is to be by your side."

Of course.

"Oh," he said eloquently. "Okay." Very carefully, he stood up and walked to his door, stepping to the side as he opened it (it was unlocked; he always locked it when he went to bed, oh god, she _picked his lock_ ) to gesture for her to leave. "You can…" Something pink was in the side of his vision. "…go now…"

Bracing himself, he looked and found Yukari standing in front of his doorway, hand poised to knock. Her eyes were wide as she stared at Aigis, who had not moved from her spot by his bed.

Minato painstakingly resisted the urge to facepalm.

"What are you doing in here?" the archer asked, the words blurted out so quickly that he almost couldn't understand them. "How did you get in!?"

Aigis had no such trouble. "He was asleep, so I unlocked the door."

"That's unlawful entry!" Yukari screeched. Minato winced. "Didn't we tell you to stay in the command room at night!?"

"I propose to be on standby in this room from now on," the android said. "Is this acceptable?"

"No, it's not acceptable!" The brunette groaned, rubbing her temple. "Oh my god, this is too early to be arguing with a robot about morals and regulations…!"

Aigis merely tilted her head. "If there is a problem, then I will address it promptly."

Taking pity on them both, Minato piped up from where they seemed to have forgotten him, "This is a coed dorm, but we're not allowed to share rooms like that."

"But I am not a girl," was the android's rebuttal.

"Appearance-wise, you are," he told her patiently, "but even then, it's still… improper. There's very few of us here anyway, so we all take our own rooms."

There was a brief silence as she took his words in. Off to the side, Yukari already looked tired for the morning as she waited for her response. Eventually, Aigis nodded. "I comprehend."

"Thank god," the archer muttered. She shook her head, shoulders drooping. "All right. As a _compromise_ , I'll have a room prepared for you on the third floor so you don't have to stay in the command room. Just… don't leave the dorm by yourself, okay?"

Another nod. "I will do as commanded."

"If you say so…" Yukari looked doubtful. "Anyway, sorry, Minato-kun. I was going to ask her if you could help look for her since she kinda went missing and we thought she wandered off again, but looks like that's solved."

Minato nodded, feeling a little awkward since he was still in his pajamas, hand on his doorknob to let Aigis out of his room.

"I'm gonna get going since I have practice this morning. See ya in class." Without waiting for a reply, Yukari turned on her heel and strode away.

When Minato turned back to Aigis, who remained unmoved, he found her head tilted thoughtfully. "…Everyone goes to a place called school in the morning. I comprehend." And then she, too, left without another glance back.

As he shut his door, Minato sighed and wondered why those last words felt so foreboding.

* * *

Returning to class after the brief vacation in Yakushima felt a little odd, but Minato was used to adjusting and readjusting, so he took it in stride. When he saw that exam results were posted up, he checked them and found that his score was relatively high. He felt glad about that, but it was Junpei's enthusiasm for _his_ higher grade that he caught onto, sharing a high-five with the boy in honor of that.

The remainder of their school days before summer vacation were uneventful, though Minato was accosted— _reminded_ by the coach of the kendo club of an upcoming competition. The man had gone to each of the members to remind them to go to school over the break in order to practice, which Minato noted down so as not to forget.

The only other thing that caught his attention was Ken Amada's appearance at the dorm. Tamamo's warning had faded to the back of his mind during the events of the trip to Yakushima, but the boy's presence brought it back to the fore.

Vowing to pay attention to the boy and his mannerisms, Minato acted as calmly as he could, welcoming him to the dorm and even inviting him to talk if he ever felt the need. He earned a few strange looks for it from his friends, but they thankfully did not bring it up.

As school let out and summer break began, Minato was swept up in the grueling special training the coach assigned. Or, well, grueling in the sense that it was harder than their usual workout. Compared to the fighting sessions in Tartarus during the Dark Hour, Minato only really worked up a sweat because of the uniforms they wore. Still, it was a nice way to keep himself active and good practice for his own swordplay. It made him glad that he joined, especially since kendo required a certain level of diligence to perform well. Sometimes, in the heat of battle, Minato drew from his kendo practice in order to keep his head straight while facing off with the Shadows.

It was several days (full of training and little else) later, while Minato was asleep, that he was woken up in the middle of the night by Fuuka's voice in his head.

"I'm so sorry to wake you all, but I detect a Shadow!" Instantly, he surged awake, already leaping out of bed to change into his school uniform before she could finish. "Please hurry to the fourth floor!"

Hurriedly tugging on his shirt and pants, he slipped on the jacket with the SEES armband as he left his room. He ran into Junpei on the way out, the other boy hopping as he tugged on his shoes, and together they ran up the stairs. Yukari exited her room and was quick to join them.

"What's going on!?" Junpei exclaimed as they burst through the command room's doors.

They were met with the sight of Fuuka within Lucia's dome-like body on the far side of the room, likely monitoring the location of the Shadow, while Aigis waited patiently off to the side. Mitsuru, too, was present, and she stood as poised as ever. "There's a Shadow in the city. Yamagishi found it by chance."

Yukari paled. "But… But the moon isn't full yet…!"

Across from them, Minato saw their navigator open her eyes. She shook her head. "Actually, it seems to be just a normal Shadow. However, it _is_ outside of Tartarus…"

"It's near Naganaki Shrine," Mitsuru informed them. "Akihiko went ahead since he was patrolling in the vicinity. I'm sure he can handle it alone, but let's prepare just in case."

The other three juniors nodded, huddling around Fuuka and her Persona as she kept watch on the things only she could sense. Not a minute later, the teal-haired girl's head lifted just as the console beeped.

"This is Fuuka," she announced. "Senpai?"

From the transceiver set up for the rest of them without telepathy, Akihiko's voice filtered through, "I'm here. Sorry, but I think you guys better come over right away."

Mitsuru drew herself up in alarm. "What's wrong? Is it a powerful one?"

"No, the Shadow's been defeated," Akihiko replied. There was a strange level of awe in his voice. "In fact, it was already defeated when I got here."

The admission confused them all. Brows furrowed, Mitsuru asked, "What happened?"

Akihiko's next statement only compounded their confusion. "The little fella's been injured… I wanna save him if we can."

"'Little fella'?" Yukari parroted, perturbed. "Who's he talking about?"

Junpei shrugged. "Beats me."

"At any rate, let's go," Mitsuru said. But she looked similarly befuddled.

Fuuka dismissed Lucia and they headed out. Minato had no doubt that they were all wondering the same thing. Except for probably Aigis. It likely didn't matter to her either way.

When they made it to the steps of the shrine, Minato felt his heart plummet when he saw Akihiko standing over a heartbreakingly familiar shape. Judging by the twin gasps that sounded beside him, Fuuka and Yukari recognized it, too.

"Koro-chan!" Fuuka cried, pulling ahead of them and kneeling beside the injured canine. "Are you okay, Koro-chan!?"

The dog whimpered in reply as the other members of SEES gathered around, but not too closely as to box him in. Mitsuru's eyes swept over his injuries. "You know this dog?"

Yukari nodded, pity shining in her large eyes. "Yeah, everyone around here does…" She glanced around imploringly. "We have to help him!"

Mitsuru nodded as she knelt down. Her hands hovered over Koromaru's body, but she was careful to not touch or prod at him. "First, we'll have to stop the bleeding."

Minato didn't have a clue how to help with veterinary first aid (he barely had passing knowledge on regular first aid), so he stepped back to give them space to work. Junpei backed away with him until they stood with Akihiko, who watched the proceedings with a careful eye.

"He's one tough fighter," the boxer commented, never taking his eyes away from the dog. "He defeated that Shadow all by himself."

Junpei did a double-take. "Wait, you mean _he_ —?" He spluttered. "The dog's a _Persona-user_!?"

Koromaru barked in reply, drawing their attention to him.

Aigis blinked once and then… apparently translated his speech, "He says, 'This is a place of peace, so I protected it.'" Then, her head turned to the side of the stairs leading up to the shrine.

The others followed her gaze to where a vase of flowers sitting amongst numerous small bouquets sat.

"Those flowers…" Fuuka murmured in an understanding tone. "They must be for the priest who died in the accident…"

"So he really was guarding this place…" Yukari looked down at Koromaru, new light dawning in her eyes.

Junpei had more important things on his mind. "Uh, Aigis?" She looked over. "Don't tell me you can translate dog language, too…"

Her head tilted. "Canines do not have their own language," she informed him. "However, speech is not the only means of communication."

"This fella really is a rare breed," Akihiko commented. It was almost funny how amazed he was.

"Confirmed," Aigis agreed.

Junpei eyed her, gaze shrewd. "He's not the only one…"

From her spot helping Fuuka and Yukari stabilize Koromaru, Mitsuru stood. "All right, let's report to the chairman so we can conclude this mission." She glanced down. "As for a vet… It may be midnight, but I believe I can arrange for one."

Yukari gently patted Koromaru on the head. "Good job, boy. You're one amazing dog…"

And, despite his injuries, Koromaru still had the energy to wag his tail.

* * *

The next evening, when Minato returned from club training and a late meal at the station, Mitsuru informed him of Koromaru's status.

"The veterinarian told me that Koromaru is in stable condition," was the report. "The wound was severe, but fortunately there wasn't any damage to his internal organs."

"That's a relief." Fuuka sighed. "I wonder… do you think the priest who passed away saved him?"

Minato didn't believe in ghosts, but it would be hypocritical of him to think that the soul of a dead person couldn't protect the living. "Maybe he did."

The navigator smiled. "The bond between a human and a pet is so beautiful."

On the other side of the lounge, Junpei was shaking his head. "Dude, everything's so messed up. First, a robot can use a Persona, and now a dog can?" He groaned. "What next, a _monkey_?"

"Maybe a bear," Minato suggested. He chuckled as he dodged a halfhearted punch from Junpei and headed for the stairs. "G'night, everyone."

"Goodnight!" was the returning chorus.

When Minato fell asleep that night, he was gently brought into his mindscape by Tamamo. He briefly opened his eyes to find them on a replicated beach beneath a starry sky—normal-colored, this time. Pharos sat nearby, close to Tamamo's side while Minato lay on his back beside them. They didn't bother him as he gradually fell into slumber, chatting with hushed voices.

"Do your best, Minato," his Other whispered just before he drifted off. "We'll be rooting for you."

* * *

The remaining days leading up to the regional tournament passed by in a blur and before Minato knew it, he had been standing in the stadium with the rest of the kendo club, their manager supporting them off to the side. When he looked into the crowd, he had been gratified (and slightly embarrassed) to see Akihiko amongst the spectators. Then again, the boxer did have a highly competitive side to him, as he'd shown in the crazy studying quiz show they'd pulled off just weeks earlier. Attending a large meet like the tournament was probably one of his favorite forms of entertainment.

Still, Minato had to shake away the feeling of eyes being on him to do well and, with some encouragement from the club manager, Yuko Nishiwaki, and a few club members, including one Kazushi Miyamoto, he went all out.

In the end, though they made a good showing, they ultimately lost with the victory of one Mamoru Hayase of an opposing school. Still, Minato felt good about how he'd done, especially considering he'd only taken up kendo when he got to Gekkoukan. Akihiko even took the time to praise his effort on his way to greet some of the upperclassmen in the club.

After showering and changing out of uniform, Minato was eager to return to the dorm and rest a while, forgoing celebrating a job well done with the rest of his club. The next Full Moon Operation was in less than a week and he had been worked down to the bone for the tournament. In order to not be a burden and drag the others down, he wanted to be fully rested when the day finally arrived.

" _Hey, Minato, can you refresh me on which arcana is next in the line?_ " Tamamo asked as he returned to his room, intent on taking a nap or maybe just sleeping the rest of the evening away. " _I can't remember what comes next, but I might be able to if I know the names, at least._ "

Minato riffled through his notebooks until he found the one he'd written his notes on tarot cards in. He flipped through the pages, scanning for the list he'd made shortly after Tamamo informed him of how many of the Full Moon Shadows there were. When he located it, he told her, "The next few are Chariot, Justice, and the Hermit."

He heard her repeat the names in a mumble. " _Hermit's a single battle, so it definitely won't show now, but… Chariot and Justice… Did that have anything special to its encounter? Lovers and the Hierophant were straightforward, but they're not all like that._ "

She rambled on for a few minutes, trying to summon up the rusted-over memories of more than ten years ago. Minato left her to it, bustling away in his room. He managed to change into more comfortable clothes to lounge around in and start reading one of the many books he'd bought from Bookworms when Tamamo's voice stopped abruptly.

Minato lowered his book, about to ask what she remembered when, just like the night they'd first laid eyes on Ikutsuki, he felt her presence go ice-cold. "Tamamo?"

" _Oh,_ " she said. And there was a world of meaning in that single syllable. Something very closely resembling panic bubbled beneath the surface. " _That is… not good. But of course, they had to show up_ sometime _. They couldn't just stay in the shadows forever, could they? No, that would be too convenient._ "

"Tamamo."

" _When did they first appear, anyway? I don't even remember! But of course I don't, I never remember anything useful, so why not this—_ "

 _Tamamo!_

She stopped.

 _Thank you. Now, mind telling me why you're freaking out and rambling?_

" _The members of SEES aren't the only Persona-users around,_ " she blurted.

He paused. _Like Shinjiro—_

" _No! Nothing like him!_ " she refuted. " _These guys… They're like the antithesis of SEES. While you fight to rid the world of Tartarus, they're quite keen on keeping the world the way it is now._ "

"What?" the word slipped out before he could stop it. _Why would anyone want to keep something like the Dark Hour and the Shadows around?_

" _Because it, and their ability to call upon their Personas, gives them a power high and feeds their needs to feel superior in a world that they believe is useless,_ " Tamamo said tiredly. " _They're called Strega. And we need to think up ways to get rid of them. Immediately._ "


	25. Poisonous Flowers Bloom

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Five  
**

* * *

The silence that followed her words was full of shock and disbelief. Tamamo could just about feel his thoughts, wondering if he had heard her right. In all honesty, she wasn't even sure if she'd heard _herself_ correctly. The words had just spilled out the moment she realized what was to come.

"I know it sounds bad, but… Minato, you have to understand. They're…" she trailed off, troubled. "It's not that they're pure evil or anything, but it would be very hard to convince them to leave their 'way of life'. The leader, Takaya, especially. At this point in time, he's very set in his views about humanity… and very little, if any, of it is good."

He was basically a misanthrope to the highest degree, if she remembered correctly. He believed in humanity's negative traits more than he even considered their hope and will to live. If she remembered correctly, the idealism that SEES portrayed during their encounters had outright disgusted him.

 _And the others?_ Minato asked.

"There are two. Jin and Chidori. The former is devoted to Takaya and his worldview. I think he views him as a savior… It's unlikely that he will leave him for any means. Chidori, on the other hand, she might be able to be redeemed, but only if she's separated from them." And maybe after speaking with Junpei, but with the changes he appeared to be going through, who knew if he would interact with her the same way?

…Actually, no. She took that back. Junpei was changed in regards to some things, but he was definitely still the girl-loving pervert he was portrayed as in the game with an often overlooked gentlemanly side. It was just his dynamic with Minato that really changed. And with SEES, but the SEES she knew all seemed to be subtly different in their own ways.

Minato's doubt swirled around her and she sighed. "I just… If Strega appears like I think they will during the upcoming operation, I think it would be best to shut them down. They'll cause a lot of grief for you and the rest of SEES if they're left roaming freely. And by grief, I mean… tragedy." She turned her face up to stare out of Minato's eyes, seeing the inside of his room. "Minato, Shinjiro's Persona might've killed a woman before when he lost control over it, but these people… Strega uses the Dark Hour to carry out _assassinations_. They've killed people for little more than simply because someone _asked them to._ "

He flinched at the thought, horrified by the implications. An entire hour when the world went dormant, save for a few individuals and a nest full of Shadows. It was entirely possible for others without a thought for justice and the greater good to turn to darker actions. After all, if there was no one else around to see and pass judgement, the temptation to work around the law could be great, indeed.

 _But still,_ he thought, grasping at straws. _If we moved now, the rest of SEES won't understand. Wouldn't it be best to lie low and wait? I don't expect Ikutsuki to do anything to help at this point, but once Mitsuru knows and sees them—if they really do show up—then she can decide._

But she wouldn't, Tamamo thought wildly. The entire second half of the game went by, but even after encountering Strega numerous times, the entirety of SEES had not considered shutting them down. It was a classic play of a "villains act, heroes react" scenario. And if they let it go on for too long, more lives would be lost. "But—"

 _Trust me,_ Minato insisted. _Trust_ us _._

That… That wasn't fair.

She had said she would try to do so, to Orpheus, but he had to realize how very dangerous this situation could become! "Minato, if left unchecked, Strega will be the ones to ultimately kill Shinjiro!" Her voice was raising without her volition. She made a conscious effort to lower it so as not to appear even more hysteric than she felt. "They'll interrupt a confrontation between him and Ken, and it will end in Shinjiro's death. And they are tenacious. Nothing short of death will stop them from trying to interfere with SEES's plans."

Please, she begged, for his sake and the sake of his friends, _listen_.

The minutes that followed dragged on far longer than she could stand.

… _We'll hold back for now,_ he said eventually, to her despair. _Take some time to calm down. If things really start to follow what you remember, then we'll… we'll deal with it._

Shoulders dropping in defeat, she murmured her acceptance.

(Later, when she did as requested and took the time to calm down, she would be horrified by her own words, trying to persuade a teenager to commit murder. It was for his own sake, and the sake of his friends, even for self-defense… but the realization of what she tried to force Minato into would make her ill.)

(It would disturb her more to realize in that same moment that she didn't particularly regret it, either. And she would wonder if the pieces that Death, Pharos, left to her were taking root.)

* * *

It was unsettling, Minato thought, to suddenly hear his Other talking about eliminating others. In a permanent way, judging by her last advice on Strega's eventual actions.

But she wasn't entirely in her right mind. Not really. He had felt her panic swirling up, anxiety piercing through the thick walls she normally had around herself and bleeding into him. If he could get her to calm down a bit, to think about the situation more rationally, then maybe her first thoughts wouldn't be to try to drive him into such extreme action. She'd never done it before, and he was certain she could come up with a better solution given time.

Until then, he would pay close attention to any mention of Strega's whereabouts and actions. If they truly did end up going down the same route that Tamamo saw before she could get the thoughts of killing them out of her mind, then… well, he could only hope it wouldn't come down to that.

* * *

August 6, 2009.

The day of the fourth Full Moon Operation, though it was the fifth full moon to occur since Minato arrived to Iwatodai and Tatsumi Port Island. The number sounded so small, but already he and the others were acting like it was routine. Even the levels of anxiety that the last operation had sprung were significantly lower this time around. They'd won before and were planning to keep up that streak no matter what.

There was little to prepare beforehand. Minato had been training through the weeks—if only in kendo—and so Tartarus visits had been done sparingly. They still went, of course, to ensure that they were not caught out of practice. But it had been a unanimous decision that they would limit their runs through Tartarus so as not to drive their leader into the ground. At that point, Minato had outright suggested they have a different leader guide them, worried that some oversight they made now would have serious consequences later. It was rejected at first, but eventually Minato had gotten the idea of mimicking their first run and gathered a team, intent on accompanying them while observing how they worked from an outside perspective.

It was a little difficult as they still seemed prepared to follow his lead instead of whomever he chose as a temporary replacement. Even more, he had to force himself to stay his hand as he watched them fight, remaining on the sidelines in order to only step in when absolutely necessary. Tamamo commented that it was in his nature to be a worrier. He never let them get hurt too badly each run, monitoring their health and status after each battle to make sure they were in optimal condition, no matter how many supplies he had to use in order to do it.

Regardless, it had been a learning experience for them all and Minato was glad for it. Even if he had always been in range while they fought as a group, he knew they could coordinate themselves on their own, without his guidance, if necessary. Given that this operation would involve another two Shadows, as per Tamamo's knowledge, and that they would fight them simultaneously, he felt it was good to know in the case that they needed to split the Shadows apart.

Speaking of which, Tamamo had worryingly less information to provide them this time. She vaguely remembered a tank and pulled Fuuka into the conversation to update the navigator about both the Shadows as well as Strega. The teal-haired girl was obviously worried about the latter, but promised she would help look into things. Since she had allegedly helped Yukari find information about the vague incident ten years ago, Minato felt more at ease knowing that the more intensive data gathering was in experienced hands.

In the end, he joined the rest of SEES in the command room of the dorm as usual, gathered around Fuuka and Lucia as they searched for their latest opponent. Ikutsuki stood with the teenagers, waiting calmly.

"Any luck, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked.

Fuuka nodded. "Yes, I've located it… and this time, it's not just an ordinary one."

"Now that's more like it." Akihiko smirked, folding his arms over his chest.

"It's by the deserted houses in the northern part of Iwatodai," Fuuka announced. Her eyes were open and staring in their direction, but she was clearly focused on something only she could see. "But there _is_ one thing that's strange… It seems like it's underground." She paused, calculating. "Almost ten meters."

Yukari tilted her head. "It must be in some kind of basement…"

Beside the brunette, Aigis kept still, the subtle sound of the lenses that were her eyes focusing whirring in the silence. "According to my records, there is no structure in the area that matches those criteria," she intoned. "However, in the past there was an underground facility that was used by the military."

"The military?" Yukari turned her gaze to the chairman. "Is that true?"

"Well," Ikutsuki began, "the architectural and geographic data for the area were uploaded into her memory bank. Then again, the information hasn't been updated in a decade."

Aigis nodded. "That is correct."

Junpei's face reflected Minato's skepticism on this error. "Uh, wouldn't that be a good idea?"

No one answered him, though not for lack of care. They had more pressing concerns to think about at the moment, after all, though Minato wondered if Ikutsuki deliberately avoided answering.

"So, how should we interpret this?" Akihiko asked, getting back to business.

"There's no way of knowing without actually going there…" Fuuka murmured, though she looked unsure at the idea of leading them out with no concrete information.

Mitsuru hummed. "It seems war's scars may be deeper than we think… The situation is still unclear at this time. Therefore, we will wait until we arrive to determine who should be deployed." She looked at them all. "Is that acceptable?"

The other members of SEES agreed, Fuuka dismissing Lucia as Ikutsuki stepped back to let them take charge. He sent them off with a customary smile and wish for their safety, claiming he would remain at the dorm to await news of the operation's outcome.

As they left, Minato felt some bit of relief that the Dark Hour lasted longer than its name implied—or at least seemed to. It was the Shadows' ability to manipulate space-time that caused it, he knew, but trekking around the city definitely took time, especially with no vehicles running other than what the Kirijo Group invented. At times, Mitsuru could provide them with special transport, but with time stopped in the rest of the city, things like cars were more of a hassle than a boon given the frozen traffic. So they were left with more tedious manners of travel, which generally consisted of walking.

He could only hope that they arrived in the right place. Fuuka had not led them astray yet, but it would be terribly inconvenient if they traveled all that way for nothing.

* * *

Thankfully, Minato had nothing to fear.

The underground facility was just where Fuuka had pointed it out to be at Iwatodai's northern harbor, and it was with quick work that the entrance was discerned and opened with a nearby switch to allow them through. With one last check of their supplies, the squad stepped in together. Fuuka was at the front in order to guide them with the faint sensing ability she acquired from Lucia. She paused once she cleared the entrance, head swiveling around. "The target should be around here…"

Hearing this, the others joined her in searching, only to stop short when a voice rang out from behind them. "Well done…"

Alarmed, they immediately turned around and two figures stepped into view just beyond the gate. Aigis held out a hand protectively in front of Minato, though he barely noticed, analyzing the two before them. Takaya and Jin, presumably, just as Tamamo said. He noticed that the girl, Chidori, was absent.

Off to the side, he saw Fuuka take a step behind the others, wisely protecting herself by keeping behind the others more suited for combat.

"This is the first time we've met in person. My name is Takaya," the long-haired man introduced, one pale and dreadfully thin arm lifting to gesture to the darker-haired male beside him. "This is Jin. We are known to some as Strega. We've been keeping an eye on you… From what we hear, you've undertaken a 'righteous' battle to save the world." A smile pulled at his lips, and Minato found himself distantly comparing it to the face of a reptile—cold and calculating. "But we've come here tonight to put an end to that dream. You've gained new allies, yet this land still crawls with sin. Tartarus is towering as beautifully as always…"

The way he spoke was smooth. Collected. There was a certain air about him that made it difficult not to listen. It was compelling, in a dangerous way.

"But why the hell would you wanna stop us!?" Junpei yelled, and not for the first time, Minato praised his ability to break through no matter what the atmosphere read.

The one named Jin snorted. "Simple. If the Shadows and the Dark Hour disappear, then so will our power. And we can't let that happen, now can we?" Unlike his partner, he spoke roughly and sneered openly at them, displaying his disdain without fear of censure. He was also horribly condescending, and Minato had to hold down a twitch at his tone.

"Power…?" Mitsuru repeated. She gasped. "Don't tell me you're Persona-users as well!?"

Takaya appeared unamused. "Why don't you use that pretty little head of yours for a change?" he drawled. "Only a select few wield the power of a Persona… and the Dark Hour is a frontier that is ours alone to explore. Just like the Tower of Demise."

Yukari was incensed. " _That's_ your reason!? Are you crazy!? There's no telling what will happen if we don't do something about the Shadows!"

"What difference does that make?" Takaya inquired in return. "There will always be disasters, whether they are caused by Shadows or arise from human folly. No one can predict the future, anyway. But that is all beside the point… Surely you will acknowledge the sense of significance the Dark Hour has given you."

"You think I like this!?" the archer shrieked.

This earned a raised brow. "Is it not so?" He swept his gaze over the others. "How about the rest of you? Do you also wish to return to your pathetic, ordinary lives?"

Junpei flinched and Minato felt himself straighten.

So it was true… He didn't doubt Tamamo's words on Strega's intentions, but a part of him had not wanted to believe that there could truly be people who wished to see the carnal world of the Dark Hour continue. No one alive, at least. Had it not been bad enough that there had been an entire group of nihilistic people to amass the Shadows for nefarious purposes, which led to the birth of the Dark Hour in the first place?

Apparently not.

From behind them, Fuuka spoke on just about all of their behalf, "I don't enjoy this one single bit."

Across from them, Jin rolled his eyes. "You've each got your own reason for fighting. 'Justice' is only an excuse… and that makes you all hypocrites! So I say, to hell with you!" And then his leg lashed out to the side, hitting the switch that SEES had used in order to get in. As the gate swiftly shut before him and Takaya, he smirked. "Have fun in there."

Akihiko darted forward, but to little use. The gate slammed down and no amount of striking it with his fists got it to open again. "Dammit!"

Surprisingly, it was Aigis who piped up with a word of comfort, "We will be all right. Rather than waste our energy, I suggest we deal with the Shadow first."

Yukari took a deep breath, holding it in before expelling it. "You're right. If we lose our cool, then they win."

As if on cue, Fuuka spun around, prompting them to follow suit, on guard. "The Shadow's moving! I think it's noticed us!"

Tense, Mitsuru nodded. "All right. Let's concentrate on our original goal. We can look for a way out after we've won." And wasn't that a nice thought? In an old military base with Shadows and no way out. "Everyone, prepare for battle. Arisato, you're up."

As if he'd expected any different.

All but resigned to his position, Minato pulled Junpei, Mitsuru, and Yukari to tag along with him. The former two for their different skill focuses and Yukari for her healing ability. Meanwhile, he entrusted Akihiko and Aigis, who, despite her lack of expression, still managed to convey her concern for him, to look after Fuuka. They were trapped in a relatively unknown area, after all, where any number of other Shadows could be waiting to appear just like in the hotel during the last operation.

Once they were ready to go, Minato led his newly formed team down the path, following Fuuka's instructions after the target. Along the way, he observed the tread marks on the floor, noting that Tamamo hadn't been kidding when she mentioned the Shadows this time were dealing with a tank.

"Whoa…" Fuuka's voice exclaimed. "This place seems to be some kind of weapons depot. I've never seen so many weapons before… All designed to kill… But I guess that's the reality of war. It's hard to believe that a time like that actually existed…"

As they continued on down the path, Minato was concerned when it seemed they were only following one Shadow. Tamamo had said there would be two, the Chariot and Justice, but so far Fuuka's sense had only told them of one Shadow.

Eventually, Fuuka informed them that the Shadow stopped moving. "It's waiting in the next area! Be careful!"

Not giving himself time to worry, Minato ran in, the others following and fanning out behind him. What awaited them in the large underground chamber was what looked to be a giant tank, its turret swiveling to face them.

"So it's using the tank as armor…" Fuuka murmured. "And this one's Arcana is… Justice? No, Chariot—oh! That's it! It's two Shadows in one!"

"What?" Yukari yelped.

"Of course it wouldn't be that easy!" Junpei spat.

"Don't worry," Mitsuru interjected coolly. "We've prepared for this. We'll simply work through it like always."

And thus, the battle began, Minato lifting his Evoker to his head, summoning the two-headed Orthrus to his side. The hellhound raced alongside him as they spread out in order to not give the Shadow an easy target.

"Fuuka, any weaknesses we can exploit?" Minato called as he sent Orthrus forward, the monster rushing forward and leaping onto the Shadow, both heads' fangs bared.

"It's just like the Arcana Lovers before, Minato-kun," the navigator replied not a second later. "Hama and Mudo skills definitely won't work, but no other affinities or weaknesses beyond that."

"Figures." Minato scoffed.

Before him, Hermes struck at the main body of the tank before ascending, a Garula spell from Io and Yukari swiftly following. Penthesilea swerved around, thin blades shining as they swiped through the air, the ice of Bufula shooting forward and crashing into the Shadow's other side.

"I'm sorry."

He shook his head, though he wasn't sure she could see it. She could probably sense it, however. "Not your fault these things are difficult. Any readings on their skills?"

It was a technique she had been cultivating since the last operation—one that Tamamo had apparently brought up while they had been running up the stairs in the love hotel. Fuuka admitted that it was more difficult to grasp than the Shadows' basic composition, as it required a more in-depth analysis. But it seemed to get easier over time as she gradually learned what to look for and how to interpret the things that she sensed through Lucia.

"Yes," she confirmed. "The majority of their skills seems to focus on physical damage. However, they have a few spells mixed between them… I wonder if there's a way to get them to separate… It should be easier to tell which Shadow has what skill if they did."

That was a matter that they had to deal with on the field, Minato decided. Which was, like all things, easier said than done. Standing back, Minato winced as Orthrus was hit in its stomach, causing the hound to fly back and land painfully on the floor—which was sent back to Minato's mind and body as a result. He was grateful when Junpei flew in with Hermes to distract the Shadow from picking on his Persona further. From the winged Persona's back, Junpei struck at the turret, causing it to swing around wildly.

"Hey! Minato-kun!" Yukari shouted from her spot beside Io. When he looked over, he saw the archer pointing frantically at the turret. "Did you see that!? It nearly came off! I think that's how it combines!"

"I saw it as well, Arisato," Mitsuru announced as Penthesilea glided in front of her protectively, shielding her from the turret that was aimed near them. "That may be what we were looking for."

"Orthrus," Minato invoked, even though a verbal command was unnecessary. The hound appeared at his side, shaking off its injuries. Eyes locked on the turret, he gestured to it with a tip of his head. "Go fetch."

With a snarl, the Persona lunged.

* * *

Seeing Strega for herself had done nothing for Tamamo's nerves. And while the rest of SEES could manage to put the thought of them away in order to confront the Shadow, she had no such luxury. Even as she watched Minato work with the others to take down the literal tank, she found herself thinking back to the encounter and scorning herself for thinking she could have done anything so soon.

It was a brief meeting. Even if she had convinced Minato to let her do something about them somehow, the rest of SEES would not have understood why and would find "his" actions strange. Trapping them with her experimental spell would have likely done no good either. For one thing, Chidori was not present, lurking around and shielding their presences with Medea. And even if SEES had them in custody to bring back to Ikutsuki, the chairman could possibly recognize them and orchestrate their escape somehow. He knew of their existence, after all, being the one to supply them with the suppressants they needed to survive their Personas (and, from bits and pieces she could remember, he had been one of the scientists conducting the experiments that awakened their Personas).

Not to mention, he had seemed to bank on the rivalry between the two groups in order to further manipulate SEES into destroying the Full Moon Shadows.

No, nothing good would have come of anything she could have tried to stop them. It would have either cast a bad light on Minato or ended up going wrong dozens of other ways. She was grateful that he had talked her down from it, though she would certainly keep an eye out for them in the months to come.

Until then, she would have to devote her time and energy in figuring out how to deal with Ken and his planned revenge against Shinjiro. In a way, it was a plan that everything else hinged on. Even before _Portable_ came out, she had always wished to find a way to save the other senior. And now that she had a chance to, she was terrified of it going wrong somehow or the universe conspiring to return to its original course no matter what she did.

Pain flashed through Minato's mindscape, homing straight in on her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, unwilling to provide any sort of distraction for Minato. Weakly, she checked to make sure her barrier around him and the others was still intact, cursing that it wasn't made for physical skills.

When she looked back to the screen that was Minato's vision, she saw the two Shadows finally separate, the turret flying off to the side as the tank somehow stood on two legs. Junpei's strangled yell of surprise was audible even from outside of Minato's range of sight and, seeing it for herself, she had to agree.

 _How the hell is that even possible?_ Minato asked, incredulous, as he stared at the now towering figure of the two-legged(?) tank.

"If you hadn't noticed, Shadows don't care much for physics," Tamamo said.

 _No kidding._

"That's it!" Fuuka's voice rang throughout the chamber. "The turret's arcana is Justice! It specializes in Pierce category physical skills. It also seems to have a light spell and a revival spell in its arsenal. The tank is the Chariot! It deals with Strike attacks and numerous ailments. Be careful, everyone!"

"Good job, Yamagishi!" Mitsuru praised.

 _Revival skill, huh?_ Minato cast his eyes on the turret.

It looked worse for wear than the tank, which Tamamo supposed came from its earlier beating by Junpei and Hermes as well as being literally torn from its counterpart by Orthrus. "Better focus that one down first. Either with Yukari or Junpei, seeing as how it flies."

His mind worked quickly, plans and decisions coming together in a split second that made her mind whirl to watch how quickly his thoughts flitted from one tactic to another. Outside, he called his orders, "Kirijo-senpai, you and Yukari keep the Chariot busy. Attack from a distance. Junpei, we'll take down Justice. Try to get its wings and see if it works like last time."

The others gave their confirmation that they heard and immediately ran about to fulfill them. Tamamo only caught glimpses of the girls catching the Arcana Chariot's attention while he and Junpei set their sights on the Arcana Justice. Together, they moved in, almost synchronized in their attacks as they alternately struck at the Shadow with their swords or sent in their Personas to cover them.

Occasionally, Tamamo felt the tug of danger on one of the Social Links as the flying Shadow cast Hama, and she hurried to channel her energy down it to reinforce their shield to keep them from falling to the spell. More often than not it missed, but she didn't want to take any chances, as reviving a downed ally was a distraction that they couldn't afford with both Shadows separated.

Still, she hadn't expected the two Shadows to use their spells as often as they did. She had to reapply her shield almost as soon as she finished setting it up in order to keep them safe from the bombardment of status ailments from both Shadows. That she had to deal with the pain of any skills that targeted Minato didn't help things either.

The Arcana Justice seemed to jump in the air, casting another spell as if to prove her point. It rushed in at her barrier and broke it, to her dismay. But, just as she lifted a hand to restore it again, a thick black mist rushed in from her blind spot, surprisingly solid, and knocked her down.

* * *

"Orthrus! Agilao!" Minato commanded, watching the resulting burst of fire envelop the flying Shadow. Hermes had torn one of its wings and it flew limply in the air, struggling to keep itself afloat and out of reach of their normal weapons. Thankfully, their Personas had no such limitations.

"It's almost down! Keep going, guys!" Fuuka encouraged.

After a quick glance towards where the girls were fighting to assure himself of their continued safety, Minato looked back when he felt twin spikes of spiritual energy gathering as spells were about to be cast. It appeared that both Shadows were casting simultaneously, and he guarded himself against the potential onslaught.

When it was cast, however, he found himself mildly relieved that it was just the Poison Mist again, which was easily dodged He stumbled slightly when he felt another spell strike him, but he had no time to contemplate the lack of pain in the midst of battle. He resumed a combative stance, sending Orthrus forth once more to catch the Shadow with its teeth and claws. Unbidden, he nervously tightened the grip on his sword, an anxious feeling swiftly creeping its way up his back.

He swallowed, trying to force himself to calm down. His heartbeat accelerated, disobeying his silent command.

"Minato-kun?" Fuuka asked worriedly. "Are you all right? There's something…"

Whatever else she might've said was lost as Junpei ran up next to him, Hermes zooming overhead. Minato's head snapped up at his triumphant laugh and resisted the urge to snap at him to cut it out. It felt like something bad was going to happen, and yet the other boy was _laughing_. "Dude, we totally got this!"

"It's not over until they're dead and gone," Minato warned him, heart pounding as he remembered the last time he had gotten confident at the sight of impending victory. The Arcana Priestess. They had managed to defeat it, sure, but it managed one last attack to knock Minato over the railing. Had it not been for Junpei and Hermes, he would have been paste.

He shuddered, a cold sweat running down the back of his neck at the reminder. He readjusted his grip on his sword, palms sweaty.

Suddenly, a spike of foreboding made him look forward, just seconds before Fuuka cried, "Vile Assault! Junpei-kun, watch out!"

But the turret was already raised. Their Personas were close, but still too far to interfere. Not in time.

A single gunshot, but the sound resonated within the chamber.

Junpei choked. And as he fell, Minato saw red bloom from his friend's chest.


	26. Fear Itself

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Well. I've started writing Chapter 27, but given the fact that I'm going on a road trip to Disneyland I doubt I'll update these last few days (so close!). This challenge was a fun little way to start this project, though, even though I didn't make the thirty days. Still, I'll likely take a little break but get back to updating this soon enough, so don't you guys worry about me abandoning it! I want to see this thing through as much as you guys do. All I ask is that you'll have to be a little more patient now for the next update—if I had the brainpower and energy I would keep up the daily updates, but I fear the quality would just further degrade over time, haha.

Regardless, it's been fun and I'll see you all in the next update! Happy Thanksgiving to those of you celebrating!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Six  
**

* * *

No.

No. No, this couldn't be happening!

How had—No, Shadow skills weren't supposed to work like that. It was all in their head. It wasn't supposed to leave a mark like that! It wasn't supposed to cause an injury!

Minato stared at his friend's fallen body, a scream bubbling up in his throat as he stared at the spreading blood. Frantically, he fell to his knees at his friend's side, pressing his hands against the wound. His hands were stained when he pulled them away, and as he looked at them, his mind flashed back to his parents' deaths.

It was the same.

The blood on his hands—it was the same!

He felt more than heard himself scream, the sound echoing throughout the chamber.

It was the same! He was helpless then and he was just as useless now! He failed!

"Minato-kun!" he heard the navigator call worriedly. "Snap out of it! Please!"

Run _,_ his instincts whispered to him, overriding Fuuka's voice. Run. Run now. Run now before they realize how badly he'd failed them. Some leader he was. Run!

And he obeyed, turning on his heel and trying to flee, desperate to escape the people he had so blatantly let down.

"Minato-kun!?" Yukari shouted after him, Io gathering a healing light between her palms. He ignored her, sprinting past with everything he had.

"Yamagishi, send in the others!" Mitsuru ordered. "Takeba, stay and support them. I'll deal with Arisato."

"But what happened!?" the archer yelled in concern, and if Minato hadn't been so preoccupied with trying to find an exit before the Kirijo heiress could make good on her word, he would have yelled at her.

What happened? What happened!? Junpei was _dead_ , that's what happened!

Distantly, he heard Aigis and Akihiko run into the chamber and join the fray, bullets firing from the android's fingertips while Akihiko summoned Polydeuces and sent him rushing forward to tackle the Arcana Chariot. Minato fixated on the area they had entered from—of course!—and ran for it.

He was nearly there, nearly free, but then Penthesilea flew in front of him, blocking his path. His heart stopped and it was all he could do to keep a whine from escaping his throat.

 _Tamamo,_ he thought desperately. _What do I do?_

But she didn't respond. Of course she wouldn't. He got his friend injured badly. She must have been so disgusted by his incompetence.

"Kirijo-senpai…" he whimpered, turning around to find her slowly approaching him, rapier glinting wickedly. "Let me through. _Please_. I…!"

"Calm down, Arisato," she spoke over him, voice shockingly calm despite the chaos erupting behind her. "You were hit by the Shadow's spell. Whatever you saw that made you run isn't real."

It wasn't…? No, that couldn't be right. He saw it. He _felt_ it. How was that not real!?

"Junpei…" he croaked. He looked down at his free hand, the blood still stained on his palm. It felt real. How could she say otherwise? Couldn't she _see_ it? "He…"

He got hurt because of him. Because Minato wasn't paying attention and didn't warn him. Didn't push him out of the way. And now he was… was…

"Iori's _fine_ ," Mitsuru stressed. She stopped a few feet away from him, dropping her combative stance. His eyes followed her rapier warily, though she kept it hanging at her side. "He was knocked down by the Shadow's attack, but is otherwise unscathed. Takeba's healed him and he's back in action even as we speak."

"She's right, Minato-kun," Fuuka urged. "Junpei-kun is fine. Please, you have to see that!"

They were lying. They had to be, his instincts crooned. They just wanted to lure him in and trap him so they could deal with him later. He had to run away. He had to get out of there!

 _Run,_ _useless little boy,_ something insidious whispered from deep inside him. _Run._

He took a step back. Blood rushed from his face as he saw Penthesilea's form in the corners of his eyes. Trapped.

"Arisato," the Kirijo heiress said warningly. She took a step forward and he took another one back, watching as she reached into the small supply pouch on her belt to pull out a small, gleaming stone. She displayed it to him openly in her palm before rolling it between her thumb and forefinger. "Stay still."

When she lifted her arm to throw it, he flinched. But the stone hit the ground with a _crack_ and burst open, enveloping him in bright light. He covered his eyes.

And when the light faded, Tamamo's voice rushed into his head. " _Oh, thank god! Are you all right!?_ "

No, no he wasn't. Minato let out a breath as his muscles relaxed from their overly-tensed state, unbidden, and he shakily lifted a hand to wipe away the cold sweat that had accumulated on the back of his neck. He took deep breaths as his heartbeat slowed to a more regular pace and he no longer felt the need to run and escape.

 _What happened to me…?_ he asked, though his thoughts felt so scattered he was unsure if she heard it.

She apparently had, for she answered, " _The Arcana Chariot must've been casting a spell that targeted your fear… You were paying more attention to the Arcana Justice so I didn't see it, but you must've gotten hit. The moment you did, it clouded your senses… I'd never felt you so terrified before._ "

He'd never really _been_ that terrified before. But…

He jumped when twin crashes met his ears. When he turned to look, he saw the giant form of the Arcana Chariot get engulfed by dark mist, leaving behind only the shell of the tank it had been animating. It was quickly followed by a much smaller cloud from the felled Arcana Justice. The moment they disappeared, he saw the rest of the team leave their spots around it to run to him. It took everything he had to not back away from them in response.

Until he saw Junpei, that is. Completely fine, if a little tired-looking. There was no red on his chest. No wound.

Nothing.

Minato quietly lifted his hands, letting his sword fall carelessly to the ground.

No blood.

He didn't quite fall to his knees in relief, but it was a near thing. "So I… It was a hallucination?"

"We're all fine," Mitsuru told him gently.

"Minato-kun, are you all right?" Yukari asked worriedly.

"What happened anyway?" was Akihiko's question.

Junpei only suggested, "Dude, you should sit down. You look like you're about to keel over."

And Minato laughed, somewhat hysterically, because that was said a bit too soon. It weakened to a chuckle when Yukari seemed to sense his thoughts, lifting a hand to smack Junpei on the back of his head. "I would say that to you, but it turns out it wasn't even _real_."

"Arisato was hit by the spell that induced fear," Mitsuru informed them in his place. There was a round of understanding voices. "It appears that it was especially potent."

"I see," Akihiko murmured. "Getting hit with one of those is never fun."

Yukari agreed, frowning. "They make you see things that are really horrible. Sometimes it's not so bad, but other times… all you want to do is find a safe place and hide." She searched Minato's face critically. "But you're okay now? It's gone?"

"I used a Patra Gem," Mitsuru confirmed. "He just needed a moment to calm the rest of the way down."

"Then let us rest in order for our leader to recuperate his lost strength," Aigis suggested, blue eyes staring unblinkingly at Minato. "He is weary. We may commence finding an exit once he is less tired."

"I think that's a good idea," Fuuka chimed in as she entered the chamber, finally joining them from where she had stationed herself outside as support. "That way, everyone can take some time to cool down as well before we return to the dorm."

Mitsuru swept her gaze over the group before nodding curtly. "Very well. I will inform the chairman of our success… as well as our encounter with Strega."

The mention of the two other Persona-users was a somber reminder of why they were trapped in the first place. As they sat down around Minato, close enough for comfort but far enough to let him breathe, he listened to them chat about the strange meeting, though he only caught bits and pieces. Though the fear had long since faded, he could still feel the small tremors in his fingers as he recalled the images it had shown him. The thought of any of his teammates—his friends—dying was something he never wanted to live through. Not until they'd lived long and fulfilling lives, and definitely not in battle where he could prevent it.

He wanted to protect the people from the horrors of the Dark Hour and Tartarus, and for his friends that sentiment doubled.

" _I'm sorry I couldn't protect you from that spell,_ " Tamamo said softly. " _They kept bombarding you guys with 'em and it kept breaking the shield… I didn't think to hold it up like last time because it would've been too draining…_ "

 _It's all right._ He sighed. _You shouldn't be expected to shield us from everything. What you do is enough._

He got the underlying feeling that she disagreed, but he wasn't in the mood to argue with her on the point and she didn't bring it up again. No, all he wanted to do right now was get the team out of the base as soon as possible and then collapse on his bed and sleep. So he stood, shaking out his limbs, and told them to start looking for a way out. They didn't protest and did as told, Aigis and Fuuka leading the search with their enhanced senses.

When they finally got out, they made a beeline straight back to the dorm, where Mitsuru dismissed them before they were even through the door. Thankful, Minato dragged himself up to his room, barely managing to change before flopping down on his bed. As he closed his eyes, praying for clear dreams, he felt Tamamo guide him straight down through his mind until he met oblivion.

* * *

Surprisingly, Minato woke up early the next morning despite his prior exhaustion. At first, he believed it had been Tamamo to wake him, but she expressed her own disbelief that he had awakened so soon, given that she had ensured he would have a deep sleep all through the night. When he inquired about Pharos, she told him that she had not seen the striped pajama-clad boy since their last talk about a week ago, when Minato had been too tired from practicing for the kendo tournament to stay up with them.

" _I suspect we'll see him soon, though,_ " she mused. " _For his routine 'after-the-full-moon' check._ "

Minato agreed, noting that it meant he was awake for no reason other than his own body deciding to wake up. With a sigh, he left his bed and changed into comfortable clothes for the summer, then left his room to look for something to eat downstairs.

As he neared the bottom steps leading into the lounge, he heard the sound of a program on the television going on, though it was different from the usual news channels that he occasionally heard when passing through. It was far livelier and sounded like an action movie or something similar. Curious, he touched down to the first floor, rounding the corner to the kitchen area, and saw Ken Amada changing the channel from his spot on the couch.

"G—Good morning, ah…" the boy called almost timidly. "Minato-san, right?"

Minato nodded. "Morning."

He went into the dorm building's small kitchen to fetch himself some breakfast. From the shared food items available, he made himself a simple sandwich before carrying it back out, forgoing eating at the dining table to sit across from the boy in the main lounge. The action made Ken shift awkwardly from what Minato could see through his bangs, but Tamamo's warning about the boy stuck with him, making him curious as to what the boy was like. Enough to stick around to observe him discreetly from up close.

He watched the news drone on for a bit, wondering why the boy had changed the channel to something that was, quite frankly, either boring or depressing. He glanced up as he ate, eyeing the remote controller on the coffee table between them.

"Mind if I change the channel?" he asked.

Ken shook his head. "Go ahead."

" _Change it to_ Phoenix Ranger Featherman _,_ " Tamamo suggested. " _It won't be the latest episode, but they should probably be showing reruns at this time._ "

Minato flipped through the channels before finding the show and settling on it. Returning the controller to its place on the table, he listened to the sounds of the show and realized that it was what had been playing before Ken changed the channel.

 _Is he embarrassed about liking the show?_ he wondered. _I thought it's popular with kids._

" _Exactly,_ " his Other drawled. " _Ken's mature for his age, but he's still a kid despite that in terms of the things he likes. It embarrasses him, especially now that he's dorming with a bunch of older students. He doesn't want to be seen as immature._ "

 _Huh._ Minato finished off his breakfast, absently wiping away any crumbs on his lap as he continued watching the episode. He had no real idea of what was going on, but he remembered watching a little of the older versions when he was a kid. The formula certainly hadn't changed over time—just the gadgets and special effects. _…This is actually pretty good._

Tamamo snorted, but she was sincere when she said, " _When you get past the cheesy lines and exaggerated effects, yeah. It's the adventures of a team saving the world, one bad guy at a time. Some would say it's idealistic, but I think the world likes a reminder that there are people out there to fight for it._ "

As the episode, which had been halfway through by the time Minato came downstairs, ended, Minato stuck around as the next one aired. A small glance told him that Ken was looking at him oddly, and the boy flushed when he was caught.

"Um, do you like this show, Minato-san?" Ken asked. He sounded like he was trying hard to keep the surprise from his voice.

Minato shrugged, watching the opening sequence and smiling faintly at the familiar tune. It was vastly remixed from the one he remembered, but it was still the same. "I watched it before," he said vaguely. "Seems good enough to watch again."

It must have been the right thing to say, as Ken resumed watching with him for the remainder of the morning. Even as the others came down for some reason or another, the most Ken did was look up at their arrival, glance briefly at the television screen and then the remote, before sitting still.

Later, after the last rerun episode aired before moving on to a different series, Minato returned to his room, deciding he would try to wake up earlier some days to watch the show with Ken while he was at the dorm with them. And that maybe he would buy a Feather Swan figurine. Or a mask. The guy was pretty cool.

* * *

True to their predictions, Pharos showed up later that night. Minato found himself blinking at the fake star field and pushed himself up to see Tamamo and Pharos on a swing set. An empty seat hung beside them and he stood to claim it.

Once he was situated, pushing lightly on the conjured tanbark so his swing swayed. Pharos's legs dangled in the air beside him and Minato was once more struck at the sight of the boy looking more like a boy and not some unknown entity in his head. Especially after spending a good amount of time watching shows with Ken earlier.

"Sorry I couldn't talk last time you visited," Minato said.

"It's all right. She told me why and it was only to remind you of the upcoming full moon." Pharos smiled. "That last battle seemed to have taken its toll on you. Are you well?"

Minato grimaced at the reminder of the Shadow's spell and the absolute havoc it had caused on his mind. "Better than before," he answered carefully. Then, remembering something, he peered over Pharos's head to where Tamamo was enthusiastically swinging. "Hey, what happened to you while I was affected? I didn't hear your voice again until the very end."

His Other must have manipulated gravity in that moment, for she swung back slowly as she thought. "Well, different things happen in here when you feel strong emotions. Most of the time, negative emotions like anger and sadness show up like a kind of mist. Your fear is generally a black fog," she explained. "When that Shadow's spell hit you, it ramped up your fear levels to maximum and pretty much flooded your mind with that fog. It was a lot heavier than usual and was actually weirdly solid… Basically, it just about bowled me over. I was pinned down underneath it practically the whole time, trying to get back up… Fear is heavy."

Pharos nodded along. "Then it is good that you have your companions to help you."

"Yeah… Otherwise I would've had to wait for it to fade off on his own," Minato agreed, wincing at the thought. The idea of staying in that state was an unpleasant one. He wouldn't wish that on even his worst enemies. Shaking his head, he looked back down to Pharos. "So are you just here to check up on us or…?"

"No, actually," the boy said, sounding pleased to have something else to share. "I remembered something else."

Minato suppressed the urge to groan. The things the boy remembered tended to be rather depressing. Or disturbing. Or both. "And what's that?"

"The end won't be brought about by anyone in particular," Pharos recited. "It's coming because there are many people who wish for it. As if it was destined from the start." He tilted his head. "But doesn't that seem like a strange thing to wish for?"

Tamamo stopped her swinging entirely. When Minato glanced at her over Pharos's dark curls, he found her staring at the boy with an indecipherable expression.

"There are a lot of different people in the world," Minato said slowly, not taking his eyes off of his Other. "Some people might, but not everyone."

Pharos hummed. "To choose death over suffering in an attempt to find peace… but is it truly peace, in the end?"

"That depends on what they've suffered," Tamamo said quietly. She drew her bicolored eyes away from them and to the space above. "And if it was truly suffering or merely self-pity. But those things are subjective. What one person calls acting out is another's truly desperate cry for help." When she lowered her gaze again, she sent them a sad smile. "In other words, Minato's right. There are too many people in this world with too many complicated emotions between them about every little thing. To try to pick out a single wish amongst the majority would be difficult. Especially if you take the time to ask the reasons why."

"I see…" Pharos kicked his feet out before drawing them in again, clearly mimicking what Tamamo had been doing earlier but with less results. "Every time I think I knew more about humans, I learn something else, it seems."

Tamamo grinned. "Welcome to life, Pharos! Where people are complicated messes but somehow manage to pull themselves together and survive each day." She pumped her fist in the air, reminiscent of Junpei celebrating a victory. "Go, humanity!"

Shaking his head, Minato turned to the boy at his side. "Need a push? It's easy to get once you've gotten some momentum going." And, without waiting for an answer, he reached out to push lightly at the boy's back. "Kick your legs out… and then pull them in… and again."

As the night went on, Tamamo conjured up an entire playground and the three played, Minato revisiting a childhood he'd never really had and Pharos experiencing it all for the first time.

(Minato's only complaint would be when she used the merry-go-round to send them flying, claiming that it wasn't meant to be used that quickly. Tamamo would tell him he had no sense of adventure and Pharos, the little traitor, would giggle in agreement.)

* * *

"He's doing well," Pharos commented long after Minato fell asleep after their odd playtime.

Tamamo stared at the barrier she'd set up around Minato's mind, the one that helped filter his negative emotions. It only worked when they were minor things—the types that piled up over time and only then became dangerous. The stronger emotions always broke through because it wasn't like she could just stop him from feeling. And she didn't want to do something like that, though she would prefer to prevent him from falling into that awful terror from before.

It had been manufactured by the Shadow's spell, sure, but it was still his fear. The spell had simply drawn it out, igniting it by showing him what he was most afraid of. The death of a friend, right in front of him. And unable to hear her to boot.

"He always manages somehow," she said softly, staring at the glimmering barrier. The fake stars shined even more brightly than usual. She wasn't surprised. They only gleamed like that when the barrier felt pressure.

"With your help, you mean?"

She looked over and found an almost bland smile on Pharos's face. She looked away. "I do some of the work, yeah." And she left it at that, simply staring ahead. Then, after a long silence, she asked, "Pharos?"

"Hm?"

"What have you done to me?"

Silence so complete swallowed them. The cliché deafening kind that somehow managed to ring through her ears even though there was no sound.

"I helped you," Pharos said.

"By doing what?" she pressed.

Whatever he had done after that last full moon battle, when she felt herself burn inside out, had changed her. She knew it. She could feel it. Literally.

When the Arcana Chariot and Justice fell, she _felt_ it. The rush of their power. It didn't burn, but it certainly felt warm and she recognized the feeling.

She had been Death, then, but she believed she would never forget anything she had experienced looking through its eyes, when its will consumed her and nearly didn't let her go.

"What have you done to me?" she asked again. She felt a foolish bit of pride knowing that her voice didn't falter. Didn't shake.

Pharos only smiled innocently, turning his blue, blue gaze up to the starry barrier. "When we first met, we agreed that we were the same and yet very different. Right?"

"Right," she said slowly, drawing the word out.

She saw his smile widen. "It seems we are now more alike than before."

* * *

It was midafternoon the next day that Minato met Mitsuru walking down the second floor's hall on his way out. She had stopped him for a quick word, telling him that she was holding a small meeting for SEES later in the evening. She didn't tell him what it was about, citing only that it would be best for him to see it with his own eyes rather than hear it from her. He agreed, a little dumbfounded, but set out for the day anyway, pushing the thoughts to some corner of his mind for later.

After spending the day out wandering around and shopping for random odds and ends, he returned to the dorm, meeting his fellow juniors on the way in along with Aigis. They decided wordlessly to climb up to the meeting room together, chatting about what Mitsuru could possibly want them to see.

When they entered, Minato was sure none of them expected that it was Koromaru. Hell, even _he_ didn't see it coming.

 _Tamamo…_

" _You never asked!_ "

Which was… true. Minato supposed that after learning he could summon a Persona just as they could, it would be reasonable for them recruit Koromaru to lend a hand—paw?—to their cause.

But still… they were really going to add a dog to the team?

As they gathered around the table where their seniors stood with the canine, they took in his appearance. He was evidently all healed up, though he was sporting some rather flashy accessories now, including a winged collar.

"That collar is designed to help control his Persona," Mitsuru informed them when asked. Because apparently they seriously were going to add a dog to the team. "In other words, it's an Evoker for dogs."

"Wait…" Yukari paused. "Does that mean he'll be going into battle?"

Mitsuru nodded, glancing at the canine sitting before them. "It was a surprise for me as well. But according to the tests, it's quite possible. In fact, it was the chairman's suggestion…" She tilted her head, managing to make the move look elegant. "We'll be looking after him here in the dorm."

Fuuka crouched down. "Is that okay with you, Koro-chan?"

Koromaru barked.

Aigis, standing beside them, translated, "He says, 'I'll return the favor'."

"Man," Yukari laughed, "you're one loyal dog."

Koromaru barked again, tail wagging. Minato had limited experience with dogs despite being quite a fan of them, but he could easily guess that he was pleased.

"Hey, make yourself at home," Junpei said, his customary easy grin fixed on his face. "The more the merrier, right? Who cares if you're a dog?" He bent over, patting Koromaru neatly on his head. Straightening, he added, "All right, I'll take him for a walk. It's summer break, after all!"

"Yes, it is," Mitsuru agreed. Her next words made them all freeze. "Enjoy your vacation while you can; summer classes start next week. I'll see to it that you graduate."

Junpei's smile melted right off his face, but he attempted to paste it back on. "H—Hey… Good one, Senpai." He let out a nervous chuckle. "You almost had me there."

Gekkoukan's Student Council President merely smiled in response. "Oh, it's no joke. We'll be taking intensive courses. I've already applied for all of us." If she noticed the suddenly uneasy atmosphere floating about the room, she gave no indication. "I know how difficult it's been balancing school and our late night excursions. You haven't had much time to study, and I apologize for that. That's why the chairman agrees that this is a good idea." She paused, looking thoughtful. "I thought I told Takeba and Yamagishi."

"Are you serious!?" Junpei gaped. "This is the first I've heard of it!"

"Um, sorry…" their navigator said meekly. "I forgot to mention it."

He groaned. "Aw, man!"

"Well, your grade's gone up a bit since the last exams," Yukari pointed out. "This can only boost them higher."

"Yeah, right," Junpei muttered. He sighed. "This sucks!"

Minato said nothing, but he wholeheartedly agreed.

Fuuka, bless her heart, tried to salvage the situation as always. "W—Well, it's only for a few weeks. So let's make the most of it…?"


	27. She Gave Her Word

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Okay, this took longer than I meant it to. One part of the reason is that this chapter didn't want to cooperate with me. Another is that I guess I was a little more tired from writing than I thought last month. It all just sort of caught up with me once I figured the month was over, haha! Hopefully I didn't spoil you guys too much with the chapter spam. I'll try to be timely, but I can't guarantee scheduled updates anymore because I unfortunately have a life and those things can be pretty unpredictable at times.

For those of you who might be reading my _Fire Emblem: Awakening_ fic, I swear I'm writing the next chapter. I just… hit an even bigger snag than the one I faced here. orz

(Also, fair warning and reminder that all that Tamamo knows is based on what I knew about the game and its lore when I started writing this. I have notes and everything for what "facts" I knew and looked up before and what I looked up after. In case any of you read this and call BS, haha. That's the downfall of writing a fanfic, I suppose. Always contending between what you know and what others know.)

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven  
**

* * *

Summer school was a drag, but Minato had been expecting it to be so it came as no surprise.

The first day was almost mind-numbingly boring. Minato was inclined to agree with Junpei's vehement complaints earlier that morning as the lectures wore on. Though the extra studying would probably help in the long run, just sitting in the classroom as the summer day went on outside was outright torturous. The others seemed similarly drained, and when Minato returned to the dorm after classes ended he found most of them sitting around the lounge with a befuddled Ken, who looked vaguely worried for his elders.

It was the second day's main lecture that made things mildly interesting, however, if only for the content.

Mr. Edogawa, the school nurse, appeared to have his own class slot and made an appearance in the classroom, shuffling in lazily. His sloppy appearance was a big change from the usual immaculate suits the other teachers wore, and the thick lenses of his glasses reflected light easily, making it hard to discern where his gaze fell at any given moment. It made sitting in front of him almost disconcerting, and Minato felt himself shift more than once, feeling like he was under intense scrutiny.

But outside of that discomfort, the teacher had a decidedly odd lesson to teach—one that was surely outside of their standard curriculum.

"Today's subject is Tarot," Mr. Edogawa announced, rubbing the back of his neck as he seemed to glance down at the papers he'd carried in and set down on the teacher's desk before him. He nodded absently. "That's right, those cards often used in fortune-telling. Originating in 15th century Europe as normal playing cards, tarot cards evolved into tools of divination."

At that point, Minato straightened subconsciously, latching onto the words with keen interest. Although he'd taken Tamamo's hints to heart and took the time to look into the major arcana depicted in tarot cards, what information he found on the Internet always seemed disjointed or padded with flowery descriptions. Mr. Edogawa was certainly an odd man, but the way he presented information was often very direct.

"The Major Arcana feature a variety of illustrations on their faces. Beginning with 'The Fool' and ending with 'The World', they tell a story in numerical order that is a metaphor of an individual's journey through life," Mr. Edogawa continued his lecture. "Each Major Arcana represents a stage on that journey… an experience that the individual must incorporate to realize his oneness. They are all important, so let's take a look at each of the twenty-two cards, one by one."

Tamamo gave a low humming sound as Minato flipped his notebook to the back pages, scrawling out the descriptions of each card as the nurse elucidated upon them. The Fool, the Magician, the Priestess… As he wrote, the image of the card was projected in his mind—a stylistic but modern take he'd not seen in online pictures.

" _It's how they were drawn for your story in my world,_ " Tamamo told him.

Mr. Edogawa droned on. "The Lovers card represents choice. Here, the individual's consciousness has finally surfaced…"

As each card's meaning was given to him, Minato couldn't help but wonder what it all meant for SEES, to be so tied into things like Personas and Shadows, governed by the Major Arcana used to divine fate and illustrate one's life journey. It had all been so very mysterious before, but now that their descriptions were being laid bare before him, so very straightforwardly, it seemed as though they had been following a similar pathway that he had never noticed until now.

Those that had passed: Magician, Priestess, Empress and Emperor, Hierophant and Lovers, Chariot and Justice. Difficult battles, each in their own way, but with their own lessons that came with them.

Those that lay ahead: The Hermit, Fortune, Strength, and The Hanged Man. They were the terrible unknown that he almost dreaded to have to face, but it seemed inevitable. What obstacles they would set before him and the others were yet to be seen.

And after…

"Spiritual death awaits the individual with the thirteenth card, which is aptly named Death," Mr. Edogawa said, bringing Minato's mind back to the lecture. The man seemed strangely animated as he added further description, "Death is considered a transitional card: the old ends, and the new begins. Now, let us continue along the path, following the transition…"

A transition. But for good or for ill?

Distantly, Minato recalled Tamamo's words, shortly before the Arcana Priestess battle. She knew the path that he was meant to live through, albeit with alterations of what his life would have been like without her presence. She knew certain information of past and future events that neither he nor his teammates knew about their situation, like the truth behind the Full Moon Operations.

" _Give me several of these ordeals,_ " he had said to her when she asked if he wished to learn what she knew, " _and I'll ask later if I still want to know._ "

And she had promised to tell him if he did, no matter what.

But did he want to?

Was her information still valid, even with the changes she'd hinted at having occurred with her there in his mind?

Information was power. He knew that. And while there were certainly many secrets that were still yet to be unveiled that Tamamo's future knowledge could possibly disrupt, they were more than halfway through the list of remaining powerful Shadows. If he waited any longer, if anything else came up preventing him from having the time to ask and take in whatever the answer turned out to be… well, what good would that do?

 _Will you tell me?_ he asked, staring in the general direction of the board but seeing nothing. His pencil hovered over his notebook, completely still in his hand.

" _I will,_ " she replied with only a moment's hesitation. " _But I think the real question is if you want to know._ "

"Judgement awaits the individual at the end of his journey, as he looks back on the path he has traveled," Mr. Edogawa continued on. "The final card is The World, which represents the individual's full awareness of his place in the world." The nurse nodded with finality that would have seemed silly if Minato had not been juxtaposing the lecture with such a somber line of thought. "That is the growth of an individual as explained by the tarot cards."

It was an important decision to make.

Idly, Minato stared at his notes as he tried to think, as if looking at some reference to the cards could help him divine a response out of thin air. Where was he in his "journey", and where would Tamamo's answer lead him after?

 _Yes,_ he thought. But when he realized his admission, his eyes widened and he backtracked. _No. I mean, I_ do _want to know, but…_

But what?

He'd already waited this long to get the answers. Only four of the Full Moon Shadows were left, and if he waited any longer then wouldn't that make it too late to act on whatever he learned? If hearing Tamamo's answer helped give him an idea as to what to do, helped him know how to protect his friends and everyone else from the Dark Hour and the Shadows, then shouldn't he take that chance?

He should.

He absolutely should. His fear of the unknown, his doubt, his paranoia—all of that would have to take a backseat to accomplish the greater good.

Right?

Taking a quiet, deep breath to steel his nerves, Minato thought firmly, _Yes. I want to know._

And Tamamo sighed, world weary. " _Then I'll tell you. Tonight._ "

 _Tonight_ , he agreed, hoping he made the right decision.

* * *

After the classes for the day ended, Minato returned straight to the dorm, though he stuck around the lounge to prevent himself from going stir-crazy in his room waiting for evening to roll around. The others checked back in at differing times, greeting him as they passed to head up or go to the kitchen or do some other activity. He replied somewhat distractedly and, after the customary small talk, they mostly left him alone.

"Are you all right, Minato-san?" Ken asked in the middle of a commercial.

Minato blinked, tearing his eyes away from the screen. He hadn't been paying much attention to the program—though a quick glance told him that they weren't watching the news or any children's show. It seemed like a documentary channel. "Huh?"

"…Are you all right?" Ken repeated hesitantly.

"I'm fine," Minato replied. "Just lost in thought." He fell silent for a few moments before asking, "What time is it?"

Ken's head swiveled automatically to search for a clock, but, finding none, resorted to looking at his wrist where a plastic watch hung. "Nearing seven."

"Thanks." Was that long enough to wait? He could always just claim getting up early for lessons threw off his sleeping schedule… yes, that would be best. There was no telling how long Tamamo's explanation would be anyway, and he wanted to hear as much as he could. "I think I'm going to turn in."

"Ah." Ken blinked, watching him as he stood. "A—All right. Have a good night, Minato-san."

"You, too," he returned absently, ambling his way to the stairs. He took them up two at a time until he reached the second floor, heading straight to his room. He all but flew through his nightly routine before curling up on his bed.

And then he hesitated, staring blankly at the wall.

" _You're hesitating,_ " Tamamo pointed out needlessly.

"Maybe I'm gathering my courage," he suggested. Which wasn't quite a lie. The thought of being told the future that could have happened—that could still happen—was a scary one.

His Other didn't reply, allowing him to absorb the silence and prepare himself.

Then, with a shaky breath, he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was surrounded by the blue curtains of Tamamo's little corner in his mind. The woman herself sat before him at her usual seat, smiling wanly.

"Don't ask me if I still want to do this," he told her when she made to speak. Her mouth closed with a click. "I might change my mind if you do. Don't let me change my mind."

Slowly, she nodded. When she did speak, she said, "I'm going to fall asleep."

The statement sounded so odd, almost random, that he nearly took a step back. "What?"

"I won't tell you everything here, in your mind," she explained. "Only in mine. But you can only access it when I'm asleep, I think. You've done it before."

Minato thought about her inner world, and how he had not reentered it since she awakened. "…True. You know how to get there, then? You never appeared before…"

"My soul was asleep then," Tamamo said, though she acknowledged his point with a nod. "And I've been there. Briefly. After that first battle, during the week you were out but before you came to in the Velvet Room."

The first battle… ah. The Arcana Magician. His awakening. Orpheus. _Thanatos._

He grimaced when he was reminded of the sight of her broken body, torn like a ragdoll. "I see…"

"So I'm going to force my consciousness to sleep," she continued. "Once I am, just enter the way you had before. Given our link, you should be accepted without any problems… but if anything feels strange, pull out immediately, okay?" Her eyes narrowed into a stern glare. "No matter what you think it may do to me."

Deciding not to give that a verbal answer, Minato only nodded.

She huffed, likely realizing that was the best response she would get out of him, before deliberately relaxing her stance. "…All right. Let's begin."

* * *

She didn't want to do this.

She gave her word, but holy _hell_ Tamamo did not want to do this.

So many things could go wrong when she told him. And it wasn't like she could lie. Or, well, she _could_ , but the truth would out eventually and then she'd lose all his trust, not to mention her own credibility. And she wouldn't do that to him. Life had already dealt him enough of a horrible hand without her toying around with him.

Closing her eyes, Tamamo willed her mind to shut itself down, bidding it to let go of the perpetual consciousness she acquired in her odd second life. The last time she lost consciousness had been to heal and escape pain. She had withdrawn into her very soul to try to recover, but had eventually been drawn back out when it proved to be too much. But that brief time allowed her to see her own inner world, and she'd kept the feeling of it close at heart.

Now, when they needed a space where Pharos could not overhear them, she hoped that her mind could give them sanctuary.

Vaguely, she felt as though the floor opened up beneath her, calling for her to fall.

Taking a moment to steel herself, she let herself fall.

Then, she opened her eyes to an endless sea and sat, waiting.

Hoping to whatever god that would listen that she was doing the right thing.

* * *

Minato had been prepared for anything, but it still startled him when his Other relaxed, her body going limp against her long chair. Her eyes slipped shut and, for the first time in what felt like forever, she fell asleep.

Hesitantly, he crossed the space between them to sit beside her, wondering what would happen if he chickened out now. Would she stay asleep and then just wake up later? Or would he have to send her a message?

No. He shook his head. He was going to go through with this. Fear of the unknown be damned!

Minato reached out, placing his hand on top of hers—and with a rush of wind he found himself sitting on the beach, staring out at the water. Tamamo sat in the same place beside him, only she was curled up into herself, knees brought up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them.

"Where should I start?" she asked, voice clear and steady. If he couldn't see how her hands tightly gripped her elbows, he would have called her calm.

"The beginning's always good," he told her in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

She chuckled. "Right… A story must have a beginning…" Unfurling slightly, she gazed out at the ocean before them, the sound of the tide pushing and pulling against the shore filling in her silence. "You know the beginning, somewhat. What Mitsuru told you before is a good deal of what I know. But there are… pieces… that weren't said. Pieces that probably couldn't be learned even from the Kirijo database."

When she faltered, words failing her as she tried to continue, Minato gently prompted her, "Like?"

Tamamo breathed in. Her next statement fell out like a sigh. "Like Eiichiro Takeba."

He blinked. Yukari's father? The scientist from the video?

"A lot of what he said… isn't exactly wrong. The twelve Shadows are incredibly important and their defeat is necessary, but not in the way that you think." Again, his Other paused in explaining. But this time, before he could nudge her to continue, she made a frustrated noise, rising to her feet and pacing along the sand. "That's not the beginning. Or, at least, not the whole part of it. It's definitely a precursor, but the real beginning is…" She stopped, arms crossed tightly over her chest. Minato stood, watching her uncertainly as she sighed. "The real beginning is Nyx."

"The goddess of the night?" Minato asked, head tilting to the side. He thought back to what little of mythology his books told about her. The primordial goddess, mother of sleep and death amongst others, whose power even Zeus feared.

"Not exactly," Tamamo replied. "I don't know, or remember, the exact details of it, but Nyx… is some sort of 'other' being that exists outside of reality. I want to say alien, but I'm not sure if that's the correct term." She shook her head. "Regardless, Nyx came to Earth long ago and, if my memory is correct, ended up as our moon. Or, at least, that's where her body sleeps. Her mind is fragmented, separated from the body, split into the individual Shadows that exist here on Earth."

This time, when she fell silent he made no move to urge her to continue. Mostly because he was trying to grasp just that piece of information. So Shadows were… Nyx? Or pieces of one half of her—it?

When Tamamo turned, she gave a strained smile when she saw him.

"It's confusing, I know. But she apparently crashed into Earth or something before splitting off and becoming dormant in the moon so she could recover from the damage. She left pieces of herself behind, though, which I guess latched onto the living organisms of the time. But that's how Shadows, allegedly, came to be. And it also hints at their true purpose." She gestured for him to step forward and he did so, feeling much like a marionette on strings with his mind still reeling. They started walking along the endless beach, in the direction of the tree on the hill. "They want to be whole, Minato. To be a part of Nyx again. Their 'mother'. It's why, when the Kirijo Group's scientists managed to gather enough of them, they joined together as they did. Because if enough of them are fused together, they can become the Shadow known as 'Death'—"

Minato reached out to grab her wrist in a silent plea to give him time to absorb it all. Tamamo looked back at him, but obligingly fell silent.

Nyx. An ancient being, allegedly. Mother of Shadows. Apparently her body lay within, on, or _was_ the moon while her consciousness was scattered on Earth—taking physical shape in the very Shadows he and the others fought almost nightly. And those Shadows, Nyx's shattered consciousness, wished to be one again. To reunite with the body?

He asked it aloud, to clarify.

Tamamo nodded. "I don't think it's possible for her to reawaken under the power of any individual Shadow. Their power is too weak alone. But when they gather in great numbers, they can join together. If enough of them do, they can form the Shadow generally classified as Death, which, in its complete form, has the power to act as Nyx's awakened consciousness."

Given the prevalence of the tarot in the business of Shadows, Minato made the connections surprisingly quickly. "Twelve Shadows, stronger than any Shadow we usually face in Tartarus. Death is the thirteenth Arcana. Then those Shadows we fight every full moon… they want to fuse together to become Death? So they can be strong enough to call… Nyx's body?"

"Yes."

"In the _moon_."

Her lips quirked in slight amusement. "I don't understand that part much either, but yes. This process is called 'The Fall'. You're… probably already familiar with that term."

He was. Pharos mentioned it almost every time he appeared before he started joining him and Tamamo in conversation. And even then, it still popped up from time to time.

His Other sighed. "As you probably could've guessed, the Fall is… bad. Nyx's awakening is bad. If she were to completely awaken and become whole again, to reclaim all the Shadows that made up her psyche, everyone would lose themselves. Because everyone carries a Shadow inside them—their innate Persona, even if they don't have the potential to summon them like you and the others do. Should Nyx awaken, she'd reclaim all of those Shadows and everyone, everywhere, would essentially lose their minds. In essence, mass Apathy Syndrome."

Minato thought of the victims he saw lingering on the streets, veritable husks of people. To see that become the fate of everyone, including himself…

He shuddered.

"For a long time, people probably didn't have anything to fear," Tamamo mused. "Humans have Shadows thanks to Nyx's consciousness spreading to every living being during that impact. But they could contain them. A human's will to live is a remarkable thing. We evolved in order to tame our Shadows and protect ourselves from Nyx's influence. It was just when people started to try to play god that things went awry," Tamamo went on quietly. "Kouetsu Kirijo began the research in search of power, and he got it. He and his colleagues learned of Shadows and somehow deduced their purpose… and decided that with the power they acquired from them, they would initiate the Fall."

…What?

"They decided to…" Minato breathed, trying to repeat her but failing in his disbelief.

The Fall. From what Tamamo described to him, it was a quiet, but no less deadly, end of the world scenario.

And the Kirijo Group scientists had wanted to usher it in?

Tamamo nodded, face grim. "It started out as Mitsuru said, searching for a way to harness the Shadow's power, but once they learned of the Fall, they became… convinced that it must occur. And so they did what they could to complete the process. They gathered the Shadows so that they could join together to form the twelve Arcana Shadows, in hopes of forming Death. They didn't lose control over the Shadows. In reality, one scientist opposed their plans and did what he could to put a stop to it… but he lost his life in the process."

That was an easy enough dot to connect. "Yukari's father." Minato brows furrowed in confusion. "But then why did he say in that tape that he was the one to blame…?" But before his Other could reply, he answered it himself, shocked at the implications. "The recording was _tampered_ with?"

"Indeed. And it was more than just making him take the blame. His instructions in that video, that the Shadows must be eliminated… In reality, he said the exact opposite."

He stared, uncertain. "But you said—"

"I know," she interrupted him, head bowed. "I _know_ what I said."

Minato started when the sunlight around them began to dim. He looked up, fixated on the clouds that were quickly covering the bright blue sky.

It took him only a moment longer to realize that the sound of the waves had gone completely silent.

Before him, Tamamo took a breath. "When Ikutsuki told you that defeating the twelve Arcana Shadows would eliminate the Dark Hour, he lied. Defeating them only eliminates their physical form, allowing their power to be absorbed by the incomplete Death. When the last one, the Arcana Hanged Man, is defeated, a complete Death will reenter the world as the Appriser, as Nyx's avatar, and will venture to the top of Tartarus at the appointed time to begin Nyx's descent to the world."

"Then why…" Minato's body wasn't physical in this plane, but his voice still managed to crack as he tried to understand. "Then why did you say those Shadows have to be…? Why have you been letting us…?"

Her eyes met his and, for one stunning moment, it seemed as though the blue one glowed. She smiled, but all he noticed was how defeated she looked. "The ultimate gamble. For this, in order to stop the end of the world, we have to start it."


	28. The Price of Peace

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : I got an interesting message regarding the full direction of this story and whether it would just detail the Journey and stop there or if it will include the Answer. I gave them a reply, but I'll also let other readers know here that I would very much like to include the Answer. However, I do wonder what you all would prefer. First, regardless of how this retelling of the Journey ends, would you like to see its version of the Answer? And if so, since the Answer is essentially the epilogue, would you like it to be just continued here in this story, or would you like this story to end and then pick up in a sequel-of-sorts?

I'm fine with either, but I would very much like to know what people think so please leave a review if you have any thoughts on this or shoot me a message!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight  
**

* * *

Tamamo could almost see the moment Minato's thought process stopped.

Had it been any other time, she would have laughed. But it wasn't. Nothing about this was funny.

And the worst part of it all was that she had to keep going.

"In the original timeline," she started, hesitating, before forging on. "In the original timeline, you fought and defeated all of the Arcana Shadows without an inkling as to what would happen after. You all believed Ikutsuki's words that doing so would get rid of the Dark Hour entirely. But the night directly after the battle with the Hanged Man, you would celebrate only to find out that nothing had changed."

"…And Ikutsuki?" Minato asked in a low tone. The sound of it made her wince.

"You confront him," she said vaguely. "He tells you basically what I just did—that the Kirijo Group wanted the Fall to occur. There is a… disagreement."

To put it mildly.

But that was where things went hazy on her again, memories degraded over the passage of time. She knew Ikutsuki would die, along with Takeharu Kirijo, that night. She also knew that Takaya and Jin, after somehow escaping supposed death, would reappear and break Chidori out from her extended capture after the Arcana Hermit battle. And then after that… Ryoji was meant to appear, but what happened from then on to December, when Ryoji would remember his true purpose and then provide SEES with his ultimatum?

There were too many events to keep straight. It made her head hurt.

Judging by the look on Minato's face, he wasn't having a very easy time absorbing it all either.

"So that's why you don't like him," he said quietly, in that same dull tone that made her uncomfortable. He stopped walking when she did, pulling him up to the foot of the cliff and its lone tree. When she gently nudged him to face her, he did so, shaking his head. "Okay. So Ikutsuki's crazy. But say we do defeat the last of the twelve Arcana Shadows this time around, start up the Fall, and everything. What happens _then_? How do we stop the _end of the world_?"

Something inside of her pleaded for her to stop, but she ruthlessly squashed it. "You climb to the top of Tartarus, following Death's footsteps. On the appointed day, the final floors will open, allowing you through. Nyx Avatar will wait there, to conduct the Fall," she recited. "There, you fight, to weaken her and buy time as Nyx's true body draws closer. When it is, you bring the battle to her."

"And then we fight," he concluded.

"Yes," Tamamo said, "and no."

Confusion and frustration warred on his face. "What does that mean?"

A flutter of something—like distress or maybe panic—started in her chest. "Nyx cannot fully be defeated. Not by mortal means. Like Shadows, she is the answer to humanity's despair. In a way, you could say that she will continue to exist for as long as those emotions do," she explained, or so she hoped. She felt like she was just rambling now. "So when you fight, it's not to destroy her. In the end, the best solution is to set up a seal between her and the world."

"A seal?" Minato staggered back, disbelieving. He had the look of someone that had just been socked in the stomach. "All this fighting, and in the end the only choice left would be a _seal_ —a temporary solution at best?"

"One that allows humanity to continue fighting and living for days to come, in relative peace, yes," she replied slowly. Desperately, she hoped in vain that he would not ask what she felt was coming.

Please don't ask, she thought. Please, please, _please_ …

"Okay… so how do we set up this seal anyway?"

Tamamo closed her eyes.

* * *

Color began to leach from the imaginary world of his Other's mind and Minato watched with morbid curiosity as the horizon was steadily swallowed by black. It was as though she was pressing down everything in her mind, containing it so it didn't go out of control. It made him wonder briefly how she managed to do such a thing, quietly drawing the world in instead of letting it explode in pieces, but he supposed that the lack of a physical body made her mind just that much stronger.

"The last card in the standard tarot deck is called The World," Tamamo recited, drawing his attention back to her. She wasn't looking at him, bicolored eyes focused on some point between their feet. "It represents full awareness, and the end of an individual's journey in search of self. In another deck, Crowley's, if I recall correctly, this card is replaced by another called The Universe."

Minato didn't know where she was going with her words, but did not dare interrupt. There was a certain power and foreboding feeling in the way that she spoke that made him avert his gaze, looking anywhere but in the direction of his Other.

Distantly, he noted that her inner world had all but faded. The only things still in technicolor were them and the tree at the top of the cliff.

"In the final battle, the power of the Universe is invoked and used to forge the seal between Nyx and the world. But it can only be summoned by one who has found their answer to life… and at great cost."

Something inside of him went cold.

Minato twitched when warm fingers gently made him look up again. His eyes stubbornly clung to the faded horizon, but reluctantly trailed to Tamamo's face. She brushed aside his bangs, looking as though she were about to cry.

For a long while, neither of them spoke.

But then, feeling numb, he forced himself to ask, "What cost?"

Because he had to know.

Had to hear it said, even as he wanted to deny what his mind was telling him.

When she tried, and failed, to speak, he looked straight into her eyes. And begged. "Tell me. You've already told me everything else. _Tell me_."

And so she did. "In order to save everything… you have to give everything." Her expression crumpled and then it was she who looked away. "The power of the Universe… the ultimate manifestation of your power… is beyond compare. With your will, you can keep something as eternal as Nyx and the brunt of humanity's despair from meeting. But only if you…" She took a shuddering breath. "Only if you…"

"…die," he finished quietly. When she could only nod, he tilted his head back, suddenly feeling ten times older than he had been just seconds before. His gaze traced the border of the still-blue sky over the tree on the cliff and the gray that had taken over the rest of the world. "Why me?"

He had meant it to be rhetorical, but Tamamo's voice washed over him, sounding at once so very clear and yet distant, "When you were a child, on the day your parents died… when I awoke… you experienced the Dark Hour. Do you remember?"

He didn't answer, but he tried to think back to that time. He felt lost, floundering, but her voice gave him an anchor to latch onto, her words a direction.

The night of his parents' deaths… It was hazy. All he could really remember was Tamamo's awakening, her desperate call, glimpses of the car on fire, and his parents' unresponsive bodies… And then he woke up in the hospital.

When he didn't respond, she continued, "That night… an incomplete Death escaped from its containment and was pursued by the Anti-Shadow weapon, designation Aigis. She chased it to the Moonlight Bridge, engaging it in battle, but was overwhelmed."

Aigis…? She had been there?

Minato wracked his mind for the memories, trying to _remember_. But it had happened so long ago. He could scarcely remember what he ate for breakfast on any given day, and the Dark Hour was a trying time even at sixteen…

"Heavily damaged, she made a choice. Since she could not eliminate Death, she instead chose to seal it away." His Other gave a dry chuckle. "Another temporary solution, at best, but one that would suffice for the time. And it was just the strange, corrupted luck of the world that she had a suitable vessel close at hand."

She reached out to him and, before he could stop himself, he flinched back. And though she said nothing, simply letting her hand fall, he could see how that had hurt her. But despite the guilt—she was only doing what he told her to do—he couldn't find it in him to apologize.

He barely knew what to _feel_.

"Death, still incomplete, resides within you. Beyond that door. My first neighbor, if you will." The black door. Chained up. Roman numeral XIII. Of course. "It was its influence that drew you back to Port Island, some strange inevitability, waking up the twelve Arcana Shadows in the process."

Which was why they flocked to SEES each full moon night since his arrival. To get to him. To become one with Death, who resided in his head.

Death.

Thanatos.

" _That night, against the Shadow… I interfered,_ " Tamamo had told him. " _I pulled your Persona out from the depths of your soul to try to help you and… something else happened._ "

The Arcana Magician fight.

" _When I pulled Orpheus out, the being that sleeps behind that door woke up… I was caught up in the reaction and this was the result._ "

Tamamo's suddenly blue eye. Bright blue, just like…

" _It's a side effect of the damage from before. I lost some pieces and when I recovered, it left its own mark._ "

"Pharos," he breathed.

It all made perfect sense. The hints, the suspicions, had been there, but now that he had the means to connect them all together, it all fit. An incomplete Death, sealed inside his mind. In the form of a child that spoke of prophecies of the world's end. Because a child-like form meant he had the capacity to grow.

That was how the boy was learning. That was why he was remembering more as each operation passed. The power of the defeated Shadow transferred to him, bringing him one step closer to being complete. One step closer to conducting the end of the world.

And at the center of it all was where Minato stood.

He laughed, desperate and perhaps more than a little crazed. "Why me?"

Why was he given that power? Why did it all fall on his shoulders? Why, out of all of the possible people with the potential, was he singled out for it all? Why him? Why _him_?

 _Why him_?

" _I don't want to die,_ " he'd told himself. Told Yukari, Junpei, and Akihiko that first night in Tartarus.

"I don't want to die," he repeated in a whisper, feeling hysteria quickly bubbling up inside.

"Minato…"

He took a step back, breathing deeply so as not to panic. "I'm sorry," he said. "I just… need to think."

Tamamo reached out once more, but he avoided her fingers. "Minato, I—I'm so—"

"Don't!" he snapped, and he tried to ignore how his voice echoed. Tried to ignore how it made her flinch back. "Just… don't."

Without looking at her, he forcefully retreated from her inner world, reappearing in a flash in his own dark mind. As he strode out of the blue curtains that hung over her private space, he turned back as the imaginary fabric swung back into place, obscuring her still-sleeping form from view.

Shakily, he lifted his arms, summoning all his willpower and memories of the mind lessons she had given him in the past.

And, for the first time in his life, he blocked her from his mind.

* * *

Minato seemed to phase in and out of reality as the days went by.

He was so caught up in everything that Tamamo told him that he just barely managed to take notes on the lectures—and halfhearted ones, at that. Even as he tried to write, bitterness festered as he wondered what the point of it all was if he was just going to die soon anyway.

He cursed himself, cursed Tamamo, and kept writing on, kept listening, if only because it was familiar.

In between the lessons, he would ask to see Yukari and Junpei's notes to see if they matched up. They never said a word, lending him their notebooks to compare and then chatting as he wrote down anything he missed, letting their voices wash over him as a comforting background noise in place of the heavy silence in his mind.

At the dorm, he stayed out of his room more often than not, often watching television or simply listening to the others talk about their daily activities. Every so often, he caught himself staring, wondering what would happen to them after the end. After he died. They were a team, yes, and, he would like to think, friends in some manner. But how much of that would hold true when he was gone and the Dark Hour was, hopefully, vanquished?

"Minato-san?" Ken's voice drew him out of his latest musings.

Blinking, Minato looked down at the boy. He looked so innocent and yet he had his own demons to slay. How would he grow up? "Yeah?"

The small brunet slowly shook his head, eyebrows furrowed over large, dark eyes. "…It's nothing. You were just staring into space so I…"

Minato's fingers twitched and, before he realized it, he was patting the boy's head. He tried to smile, but felt like he may not have succeeded. "Thanks and… sorry. I just have a lot on my mind right now."

Ken, who had stiffened under the touch, relaxed slightly, though his expression turned into a cross of a scowl and a pout as Minato pulled his hand away. "I'm not a kid, y'know…"

"Yeah, I know," Minato said apologetically, staring at the palm of the hand he retracted. "It's a habit."

* * *

The mental block remained despite his instincts screaming at him to just lift it already and talk to his Other. He wanted to—god knew he did—but he needed more time to absorb it all and figure out what he wanted. Every action he made seemed to take so much effort now and his mind was always elsewhere that it made processing difficult, but he hoped that she understood. He didn't like not hearing her voice since it had always been his source of comfort during rough times. But after his reaction and dramatic exit, he was actually rather afraid of what would happen if he allowed the block to lift before he was ready.

It had been a rash decision, and he might've put a bit more force into creating the block than necessary, but he had needed it. Needed space in the only way available to him.

Unfortunately, while he got his space mentally, it was now his physical space that he was starting to need.

It wasn't so much that he felt suffocated. His friends and fellow SEES members were remarkably subtle in their concern for him, such as Yukari and Junpei's care to not draw attention to the fact that Minato, the most studious of their little trio, needed their help to fill out his usually meticulous notes. Or the way that Chihiro actually worked up the courage to greet him in the halls, smiling timidly but brightly. Or how Yuko dragged over an oblivious Kazushi, griping about his eternal gym uniform and please, Minato, shouldn't he _stop_ she was absolutely baking just _looking_ at him, wasn't _he_?

As much as he appreciated their efforts to keep his thoughts occupied, it was actually rather counterproductive to what he was trying to accomplish. So, feeling mildly guilty, once classes let out on the fifth day of summer school, he left the classroom and campus as quickly as he could, carefully weaving through and around the throngs of students and onto the streets of Port Island. It was only when he calculated a fair distance between him and the school that he eventually slowed down, sighing heavily.

 _I never realized you could feel uncomfortable just getting cared for,_ he thought jokingly, only to curse himself when there was no rejoinder from his Other.

Chest aching, he shook his head roughly and picked up his pace again.

He had no particular destination in mind. Just so long as he got away from the people he knew. It was selfish, but dammit he thought he had a right to be selfish, especially at that time.

Tamamo would say it would be fine. That they would understand.

" _Everyone needs space sometimes,_ " she would probably say. " _And you're a loner by nature so you do well when you have the time to think on your own._ "

Well.

Maybe not exactly like that. She'd probably put it more eloquently. Or gently. Never let it be said that just because he'd known her all his life that he could mimic her exact demeanor even if he could predict her most probable reactions and _dammit_ he wasn't supposed to be trying to imagine her voice in a situation that he purposefully blocked her out of!

" _I told you this relationship isn't exactly healthy,_ " would be her quip. " _You're worryingly dependent on me._ "

"I am," he agreed with a mutter, rubbing his face with one hand as he walked along. "Problem is, I don't think I really know how to live differently anymore."

Distantly, he looked around and vaguely recognized his surroundings. He was nearing Iwatodai Station and the nearby strip mall—maybe another ten minutes of walking or so and it would come into view. It was a bit of a risky area to be in if he wanted time to himself. Students from Gekkoukan hung out there all the time, and he knew for a fact that Junpei frequented the area as well, for the food.

Minato could possibly seek refuge in Bookworms. Bunkichi and Mitsuko would let him hole himself away for however long he wanted, he knew. But they were frighteningly perceptive at times, for all of Bunkichi's feigned (and sometimes real) ignorance and Mitsuko's gentle politeness. If he wasn't careful, he felt they could even pry the truth of the Dark Hour from him simply by acting like the doting grandparent-figures they were.

…Yeah, he should probably stay away from there.

Still, he shuffled along, head bowed and keeping his gaze on his feet—one step and a time—as he thought. He felt like he needed a good scream. A place to just let it all out until he was exhausted enough to think clearly. Everything just felt jumbled and _numb_ and he kind of wanted to lift the block so Tamamo could maybe give him a good smack upside the head and—

He walked straight into someone.

They barely budged, but he stumbled back a few steps, stunned.

"Sorry…" he began to say, only to fall embarrassingly silent when he saw just who he ran into.

Shinjiro Aragaki. The distinctive maroon pea coat was quite indicative even if Minato was only seeing him from behind.

The upperclassman turned, gray eyes narrowed under the rim of his beanie. His gaze flickered, looking him over in a deceptively disinterested way. When his mouth opened to speak, Minato braced himself to be chewed out. But what was said was something he hadn't really expected.

"You look like shit."

At a loss, Minato stared.

Shinjiro snorted. He looked unimpressed, but as he continued talking it became apparent it was less about Minato and more about what sounded like his fellow SEES members. "The hell're they doing? Running you ragged? You look like death warmed over."

At that, Minato winced. Death. Not exactly his word of the day. Still, it wasn't his friends' fault that he wasn't looking so hot. He opened his mouth to defend them, but before a word could escape, he was interrupted by the sound of his stomach growling. His face grew warm when Shinjiro sent him a dull look. "…Sorry?"

Rolling his eyes, Shinjiro turned around again and began stalking away. Minato took a moment to berate his stomach for its poor timing (and himself for forgetting to eat earlier) before jumping when the older boy called, "Hurry up. I ain't got all day."

"What?" Minato asked, looking up in surprise.

The space between them had grown significantly, but not so much that it was possible for him to mistake who Shinjiro was addressing. As if to emphasize this, the older boy scowled at him. "Just get over here already."

Figuring it was best for his safety to just go along, Minato all but scampered after him, keeping a respectful distance but staying close enough to assure the fact that he was following dutifully.

Shinjiro took off again without a word, long legs leading them in the direction of Iwatodai Station. He walked purposefully enough that anyone in his way quickly got out, and his perpetual glower kept anyone from looking too closely and noticing his unusual tagalong. Minato, on his part, could do nothing but continue to follow, confused as to what his delinquent upperclassman had in mind.

(It would be sometime much later that he would look back and consider it to have been one of the best decisions he'd ever made.)


	29. In Which a Concession is Made

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Apologies for this taking longer than expected. We're at a rather heavy part of the story, though, so I tried to be careful when writing it. Still, thank you for your patience—my health hasn't been the best either, which also contributed to my poor writing schedule. And no matter how much I appreciate you all, taking care of that, both physical and mental, was rather more important than strictly adhering to an updating schedule. After all, I can't keep writing if I'm not fully there, y'know?

That said, to _Animefan1337_ , from your review on whether Minato and Tamamo's relationship is romantic or platonic… good question. I like genfics and while I like reading about romances, I'm not exactly _good_ at writing them, so my first instinct would be to say platonic. But my living soundboard says that he can see them as being romantic. He says they have that "childhood friend" dynamic—they're so close that it can honestly go either way. Of course, Tamamo lives in Minato's mind so that gives a rather odd spin on things…

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine  
**

* * *

Ramen was, apparently, what the gruff senior had in mind.

Minato blinked, staring up at the shop sign of Hagakure momentarily before hastily following Shinjiro inside. He noticed that the older boy made a beeline straight to a corner of the counter, slipping onto the seat with such familiarity that it was obvious he frequented the place. Which fit, he supposed. The other teen was always wearing that pea coat of his no matter the weather (it was the middle of summer, humid as hell, and yet there it was), so the fact that he would often go for a warm and filling bowl of ramen didn't seem so farfetched.

Feeling almost timid, Minato slipped into the seat next to his.

The moment he was settled, Shinjiro said, "Order."

Not even bothering to question it, Minato thought back to what he remembered of the menu before deciding, "One special. Please."

"Make that two," Shinjiro added, voice barely dropping to a more respectful tone as he addressed the owner.

"Coming right up," the man replied pleasantly before bustling away with a hum.

As soon as the man had turned around, the two teenagers lapsed into silence. Minato shifted numerous times, feeling awkward, but Shinjiro was apparently unaffected, leaning back in his stool with his hands shoved in the pockets of his coat. In an effort to keep still, Minato focused all of his attention on the counter in front of him, staring at the pattern left in the varnished wood, tracing it out with his eyes as it flowed from one corner to another.

How many times would he be able to do something like this before the end? Idling around, waiting for an order of food to be completed? Sitting in a restaurant, looking as though he still had all the time in the world?

It seemed so insignificant. It seemed silly—stupid, even—to worry about. And yet, he did.

In hindsight, he probably should have asked Tamamo about the estimated date of the Fall to get a better picture of how much time they all had left. How much time he had left. But given that each month saw at least one new Arcana Shadow, it couldn't be very far off. By the end of the year, maybe.

" _I don't want to die._ "

Something inside him twisted, ugly and dark and despairing, and he took deep breath through his nose to try and keep from panicking.

It had been his decision to know what information Tamamo had stored in her mind from another life, he tried to remind himself. Everything she told him, it was because he had asked her to. It wasn't her fault that what she said was so upsetting, no matter how much the wounded parts of his mind insidiously tried to blame her for this pain and paranoia.

Again, in hindsight, as much as it chafed at him to not be able to hear her, it was probably best that he had blocked her.

"You gonna eat or what?" a low voice asked.

Minato was startled back to reality, where a bowl of ramen sat, steaming, in front of him. Another bowl was placed before Shinjiro beside him. "Ah, yeah. Sorry—I mean, uh, thanks?"

Shinjiro snorted and reached for a pair of chopsticks as Minato did the same, though the senior was much smoother in movement than his awkward fumbling. As the two settled into their meals, Minato found himself side-eyeing the older boy, feeling very much out of depth.

It was rather rude to judge others by how they look, but this—whatever _this_ was—was not something he expected from the rough-looking upperclassman. Whether their brief run-in at the hospital or in the alleyway by the station, Minato saw the older boy as someone who kept away from others at all costs. That he would intentionally call out to Minato and more or less drag him someplace to eat, even after their accidental run-in on the street, seemed very out of character.

…Then again, Tamamo had told him about something similar, hadn't she? He couldn't remember her exact wording, but he could recall what she meant. That Shinjiro Aragaki was tough, undeniably, but that there was something else buried beneath that delinquent-esque layer.

Minato paused in the midst of calling up everything Tamamo had told him about the senior student, a familiar feeling sinking in his stomach. But unlike the past few days, it was focused on something else rather than his woes.

" _Self-destruction_ ," he recalled Tamamo saying.

Because Shinjiro sought to right what he'd done, even if it meant his death.

"Um," said Minato before he could stop himself.

The upperclassman didn't stop eating, but he gave an answering grunt to indicate that he had heard. It was only after several moments of silence that he looked up from his bowl, lowering the hand holding his chopsticks. "What?"

A small part of Minato told him to dismiss it and just keep eating until he could pay the senior back and leave. He ignored it, pulse fluttering with nerves. "This is going to sound weird, but… I've been thinking about this a lot recently and I was just wondering… what would you do if you thought you would die soon?"

There was a glint of _something_ in Shinjiro's gray eyes that Minato couldn't identify, and he forced himself to keep very still when said eyes narrowed into a scrutinizing glare. Then, the moment passed and Shinjiro returned to eating and Minato started breathing again. "You guys doing that badly or something?"

"No…" Minato said slowly, feeling lost as he faced his own bowl, stirring the noodles around. "It was just a thought, I guess."

His ears burned with embarrassment at saying something so dramatic. Were his senses and instincts so skewed now that things could just blurt out like that? If so, he would have to be extremely careful around the rest of SEES…

"If you ask me," Shinjiro spoke up suddenly, making Minato jump minutely, "I'd just keep going my own damn way. My life, my actions." He gave a rough, almost careless shrug of his shoulders. It contrasted jarringly with the rather morbid tone behind his words. "If it's gonna happen anyway, then I want it to be on my terms."

That was, Minato thought privately, a pretty badass way of thinking. If maybe a bit reckless.

Shinjiro continued, seemingly unaware of how Minato hung from his every word, "If I'm gonna die, then I want to make sure that the things I did up to that moment were things that I could be proud of."

And had Minato not known the connections between him and the Ken Amada Predicament, if he hadn't known exactly what reasons fueled those words, he would have thought the older boy a natural hero. Or maybe he still was, if tainted by a dark past.

Regardless, it gave him a new perspective. The thought of dying still scared the hell out of him, but if he were to look at it with Shinjiro's words in mind…

"Thank you, Senpai," Minato said quietly, head bowed over his bowl.

"Yeah, sure," Shinjiro grunted, as if their conversation had been something bland, like Minato asking homework advice and not a depressing topic like death. "You're too goddamn young to worry about that sort of stuff. Now hurry up and eat."

Minato did so, half listening as the upperclassman muttered about poor habits that sprouted up in dorm life and how they'd all better not be on some weird diet like "that protein shit". He didn't know quite what the senior was talking about, but the way he was acting like a particularly brusque mother hen even under his breath made Minato smile.

* * *

 _I think I hate you a little bit,_ Minato thought as he made his way back to the dorm. The mental block was still up between him and his Other, so he took that time to vent. _It's irrational, but I do._

She had kept many secrets from him while he was growing up, which was annoying to be sure. Even after she revealed that she knew much more about his life from her past one, she still kept quiet about many things, only explaining them when they became of immediate relevance.

A more bitter side resented this fact, muttering that she could have acted more quickly. Could have told him to prepare him or allow him to avoid the situation entirely. He also wondered what would have happened if he _hadn't_ asked for her to tell him—if he had backed down or otherwise decided to not hear what she had to say. Would she have just figuratively stood by as he went to his supposedly predetermined death?

But then, as he turned the thoughts around and around in his head, barely registering as he arrived at the dorm building and signed in, he realized how unfair that was.

After all, by some trick of fate, Tamamo existed only in his mind. Or soul. Whichever. She had only so many actions available to her in the first place. Even if she had dumped all the information she knew on him as soon as it was possible, without the context of the events at hand all it would have done was confuse him. And if she had told him to stay away from Gekkoukan, from Port Island and Iwatodai, who was to say he would have listened? He went with her suggestions more often than not, but back then, before he had known of the true dangers of the Dark Hour, would he have taken the threat to his life seriously? All it had taken was him taking a step back into Iwatodai to wake up the Arcana Shadows thanks to a certain other presence in his head. One step and a few days was all it took for him to encounter the first of them and get dragged into the entire mess.

Slipping quietly into his room, he was struck with a thought.

Knowing everything he knew now, he could admit that a part of him resented her, justified or unjustified as the thoughts were.

But for Tamamo, who had known all of it from the beginning…

From the moment she woke up, she had been trapped in his mind, torn from one life and displaced in the next without so much as a "by your leave". She had known who he was, what his fate was, and had been powerless to do anything.

She had lived every day of his life knowing, believing, that he would probably not make it past seventeen, if that. And that she would likely be bound to him the entire way. His Other had never stated at what exact age she had died, but her little storytelling night to both Pharos and him allowed him to estimate her at early-to-mid-twenties. For her to die young once and then die young again, without even a proper body to live in the second time around…

 _How much do_ you _hate_ me _?_ he wondered. And once more he was grateful for the mental block because a large part of him feared her answer. It wasn't his fault that she was stuck with him, he knew, but just as he couldn't help but feel embittered about her role in his life, it wasn't unlikely that she felt the same way about his role in hers.

She was his doomsayer.

He was her prison.

Feeling sick at the thought, he turned in early, throwing the covers over his head and pretending, for a moment, that it was only fatigue and that his life wasn't so screwed up.

* * *

The last day of summer classes came and went. Minato had taken diligent notes, quiet but significantly less distracted than the previous days. It wasn't even that he felt numb anymore. He didn't know how to describe it. It felt like he was indifferent, somehow, though that word didn't seem to fit either.

Unofficially, he had determined that he was just "a mess".

Still, his friends had seemed relieved at his better mood. The air around Yukari and Junpei had lightened considerably as they spoke during break that day. Kazushi had come around to say hi as well, though he warned Minato to get some sleep and keep up his strength for kendo before Yuko dragged him off, harping at him for something or another.

Students celebrated the end of summer classes and returning to their vacation—Junpei being of the most vocal amongst them—and they more or less quietly returned to whatever routines they had established before.

Which left Minato staring at the calendar in his room the very next morning, realizing rather belatedly that the dorm was strangely empty even for a summer day because the summer festival was going on at the Naganaki Shrine.

Padding over to his bed, he picked up his phone and flipped it open. Sure enough, there were several missed calls and a number of texts asking him if he would be going to the festival that day. Or, as Junpei's read, _dude wake up and get your festival on_.

Minato flipped his phone shut without replying, peering up speculatively at his calendar again.

Then, his imaginary Tamamo voice (and wow, he really did have kind of a problem, didn't he?) told him not to hole himself up because being alone when he felt like crap like that would only make him loathe himself more.

With a quiet sigh, he went to obey her—his—suggestion and went to change and drag himself to the shrine.

* * *

There was a liveliness and cheer in the air that left Minato feeling much like an alien, standing at the top of the steps to the shrine and peering down the long aisle of various food, merchandise, and game stalls. Families and friends drifted this way and that, their voices mingling into a pleasant background hum. Some of the more festive attendees were dressed in summertime yukata, their bright colors standing out amidst the almost neutral tones of others' everyday wear.

If he had felt like being particularly dramatic or brooding, he would have said that he felt cold even as he walked forward into the throngs of people. But he didn't because… well. He didn't.

Instead, he found himself preemptively focusing inward at the pain when he found himself thinking, _I might never see a summer festival again_.

But before he could do something stupid—like break down in the middle of the festival or throw up on someone's shoes—a voice called out to him.

His head snapped up immediately, battle-honed senses flaring up only to sputter to a halt when he realized who had called him. Who was approaching him.

"Maiko-chan," he greeted, clearing his throat when his voice came out hoarse. He tried to smile and hoped it passed as at least a mediocre attempt. "You look very pretty."

The little brunette beamed, twirling as much as her yukata allowed. Her hair was done in its usual style, but he noted the bright-colored clips that decorated it that day. "Thank you!"

"Are you here with your parents?"

Maiko nodded, turning back briefly to indicate a man slowly approaching them. Minato only vaguely remembered his features from when he helped both him and his (soon to be ex) wife locate their daughter. "My dad took me since Mom's at work."

A more honest attempt at a smile tugged at his lips. Minato didn't fight it, genuinely glad for the girl to spend time with either of her parents. "That's good. Don't eat too much or you'll get a stomachache."

She puffed out her cheeks at him in an overblown pout. "I won't!"

"If you're sure…"

"Honest!"

Maiko's father neared and, catching the tail-end of their conversation, chuckled as he seemed to deduce what was being said. "Ah, Arisato-kun, right? Thank you again for looking after our—er, Maiko-chan."

He shrugged, hands automatically going to his pockets. "It's nothing. Have a good day, sir. Maiko-chan."

"See you!" Maiko waved as her father took her hand and led her away.

Minato held up his own hand to wave back, letting it linger even as she turned away before eventually dropping it with a sigh. He watched Maiko's retreating back until even she disappeared in the crowds of people, wondering (always wondering now) what she would be like in the future. If he was gone.

When he was gone.

He had done his best to help her, floundering with his nonexistent social skills to comfort her when she cried over the stress of her divorcing parents. His awkward attempts to help her sometimes seemed to work, sometimes made it worse, especially since Tamamo wasn't particularly helpful in that regard. Whenever he had asked her what to do, she had only asked _him_ what he thought he should do. It was frustrating and humbling in equal measures, trying to learn on the go how to deal with this strong yet fragile little girl, afraid that any action or word of his would affect her badly. Terrified that what he said to her now would have some consequence on her life later that he would be responsible for—however directly or indirectly. And that he—

Wait.

 _Wait._

In what felt like an eternity ago, Tamamo had told Pharos and him the tale of her past life, however vague the details were. And after, Pharos had made a quip about the story being never-ending.

" _If humans really do never stop growing, from one life to the next, then it never ends,_ " the child-like form of Death had said.

Minato could recall that easily enough because it had seemed to resonate with even him at the time. He had thought Pharos had only meant it in the way that Tamamo had reincarnated. "One life to the next" had seemed like an obvious clue. He'd thought it suited her well, just as it was. Her story, continued on from her past life in some other world and into his, if only in his head.

But Tamamo. Tamamo had added to that. " _'From one life to the next'… and to all the people connected to them._ "

The story didn't end, but not because she had managed to reincarnate herself. Or, rather, not _only_ because of that.

It wasn't about a continuation of life, he realized. Not in the sense he had believed it to be.

It was about legacy.

When Tamamo told them about her past life, she took care to mention all of the important people to her. Her family. Her closest friends. The people that had made an impact on her and taught her lessons on how to be. How to live. In this life, Tamamo lived in his head, but she had passed on bits of her knowledge and wisdom to him. To help him grow and learn and hopefully thrive. He was, in some ways, her legacy. Her story had yet to end, but even if it someday did (forcing away the spike of fear at the thought), he would continue it simply by living on what she had done for him and taught him.

And if… when he died, the people he got to know, got to meet and perhaps even change in some way, would carry on for him as well.

Like Maiko. Like Hidetoshi. Like Chihiro. Or Junpei. Or Yukari. Or Fuuka.

It was a tale that kept on spinning.

A part of him still wanted to shriek at the idea— _he wanted to live, too!—_ but he couldn't help but think that the revelation that Tamamo and Pharos had come to so many nights ago was amazing. And cruel. And beautiful. And full of hope.

Because it was human nature to reach out and touch other lives. The world would keep spinning without them all either way, so it was up to them to continue and leave behind their own legacies. So that they could keep spinning along with it.

Minato was struck with a thought. Shinjiro, for all his brusqueness, had had the right idea. Regardless of what the outcome was, it was better to do things that he would be proud to call his accomplishments later on than spend his time fretting about the details. Come what may. Whatever will be will be. And so forth.

He was still selfish, though. He wanted to live.

But.

If the worst came to pass… If there was no other option and no alternative could be found… he felt as though he could be a little more accepting of that fate. Somewhat.

Turning on his heel, Minato left the festival, speeding back to the dorm.

He was nervous about how this encounter would go after that last disastrous meeting, but he had to do it. He felt as though he were going stir-crazy inside his own skin the longer he blocked contact with his Other, and with his recent revelations, he felt that he could talk with her now that he'd taken time to cool down. Felt that he could talk to her without self-destructing.

He could.

He would.

With a deep breath, he situated himself in the solitude of his dorm room—and lifted the block.

* * *

 **EXTRA**

* * *

 _Useless_ , Tamamo thought dully as Minato tried not to flinch away from his aunt and uncle's widespread arms and smiling faces. She was so _useless_.

"It's okay," she said as soothingly as she could muster. "I'm here, Minato. I'll get you away from them."

It had been just over a week since they'd overheard his latest caretakers talking in hushed voices, unaware of the little boy still awake and hiding behind a corner. He had woken up thirsty and so got up to get a glass of water when he'd heard his aunt and uncle whispering. Heeding Tamamo's suggestion to sneak quietly to the corner, he had situated himself neatly to overhear as much as he could.

He hadn't understood what they were talking about, but the absolute fury that built up in his Other told him that it was nothing good. He quietly obeyed when she told him to return to his room and didn't question it when she told him to lock the door. Then, in the privacy afforded to them by his dark room, she'd told him, in words that he could understand, what his relatives had been talking about.

He had cried until morning light, and she alternated between soothing him and ranting in equal measure.

Now, with his birthday just around the corner and truth brought to light, Minato desperately wished to be anywhere but there. Tamamo agreed wholeheartedly with him, trying to think of how to get him out of there when the couple seemed so intent to keep him—or rather, whatever part of his inheritance they wanted that came with him.

It was only as the greedy bitch of an aunt started giggling over him about how big a party they were going to throw him, bigger than any party he'd ever had before, that she realized what he could do.

"Your birthday party," she told him firmly that night when he asked her what they were going to do. She didn't blame him for being scared. They'd been staying with this couple for longer than usual, due to their insistence on keeping him near and ingratiating themselves to him as well as Minato's own reluctance to leave at first, surrounded by what he'd deemed as true familial love for the first time in ages. The rest of the family thought he was happy and if his caretakers had no problem with it, then he could stay there. "They invited your grandfather—remember him? We'll bring it to his attention."

Old Man Shirogane (and something about that name was familiar in a fuzzy way that she couldn't quite pin down) was a no-nonsense type from what little Tamamo saw of him. Mostly during the funeral and the aftermath afterwards. He worked in some part of law enforcement, or something, and had a keen eye for many details from what she could construe about him. But he was fair. If he determined that something wasn't right about Minato living with this aunt and uncle, he would do something about it.

Minato shakily agreed and they settled back to wait out the days until the party. Tamamo coached him on what to do and say, advising him on how not to act too little or too much, but just enough to garner the right response.

She had gone through one lifetime as the youngest daughter in one family. She wasn't a master puppeteer by any means, but if she wanted to be a manipulative bitch, she could be. They didn't come out often, but she still had her claws.

On the day of the party, she told Minato to play with his cousins for a while before eventually making his way to his grandfather while everyone else was distracted with something or another. He tugged at a loose fabric of the older man's clothing and, once he had his attention, Minato began the questions she had carefully given him, along with the childish and simple reasons behind them when he was asked _why this_ and _why that_.

And then she sat back as Old Man Shirogane's eyes darkened even as he patted Minato on the head, ushering him off to play with the other kids outside for a while.

 _Maybe not completely useless,_ she amended as Minato watched as his maternal grandfather approached his aunt and uncle, pulling them none-too-gently to the side and talking with them, their faces a strange mix of pale and flushed with indignation. Then, she nudged Minato to pay attention to the game.

(Minato would be moved out before the week was finished, placed with his aunt Sayuri who fretted over him from his stay with "those vile people". Never mind that one of them was her cousin.)

(Later on, Tamamo would watch some of Minato's more sneaky dealings and wonder if maybe he picked up more from her than she'd first thought. Natsuki was certainly still a little leery of him, even though she didn't seem to remember exactly why.)

(Poor Natsuki.)


	30. Consequences of Inaction

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : _Avatar NIX_ : That was indeed a reference to P4. I am yet another amongst many that believe Minato and Naoto have some form of familial connection—or should. In _Symbiosis_ 's universe, they're first cousins. Actually, in Chapter 14, the grandfather Minato mentions he went to live with is Old Man Shirogane and the cousin who prevented the "supply closet incident" was Naoto herself.

Also, Tamamo has no idea that Minato's cousin Naoto is _that_ Naoto. As mentioned before, she's only played up to Rise's dungeon and largely ignored _Persona 4_ info to avoid spoiling herself in case she took it back up again. Combined with memory degradation over time, she barely remembers anything about P4.

And to everyone, sorry, this is another slow chapter. But things should hopefully start picking up again next chapter as our (not quite) intrepid hero climbs over this mental hurdle and gets back in the swing of things.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty  
**

* * *

It was quiet.

And Minato only realized that quietness because he had lifted the mental block between him and his Other—and she wasn't saying a word.

 _Tamamo?_ he called hesitantly. Then, when she still did not answer, he got worried. _Tamamo?_

When the silence continued, Minato entered his mindscape for the first time in days (had it really only been days? It felt much longer than that) in order to search for her only to stumble to a stop.

 _That wasn't there before_ , he thought, dumbfounded, as he stared at the new additions to his mindscape. It was still dark, with a starry sky lit up all above him, but what caught his eye were the trees. A great number of them stood ahead of him, quiet and steady like they had always been there even though he knew for a fact that they had not been. They looked like pine trees, though the needles seemed to be some ethereal mix of blue and green, though that might have been due to the perpetual night sky that loomed over them.

Approaching them slowly, Minato peered up and all about the trees, noting with some surprise that the ground, usually blank and dark as the rest of the mindscape, was now almost picturesque in imitating the ground of forested earth. Then, with some hesitation, he lifted a hand and placed it on the trunk of the tree nearest to him.

He jumped when his mindscape hummed, retracting his arm as the materialized forest seemed to _breathe_. But when nothing lashed out at him, he carefully placed his hand back on the trunk, bracing himself for the thrum of power. It echoed and he felt himself smile in wonder and disbelief.

Whatever this was, it had not been created by Tamamo. He wasn't sure how he knew since she had been the only one to ever really do anything in his mind, but it was true. This budding forest, which was still growing if his instincts were correct, was a direct product of his mind. Something had happened in those few days that he ignored his little mental world and its inhabitants, and this was the result.

"Tamamo!" he called, anxious. Something about the forest's appearance unsettled him, but at the same time he felt safe. Like it was meant to be there. Had always belonged there. He had no idea how to take it. "Tamamo, where are you?"

He made his way in the general direction that he remembered what he came to consider "her corner", which had also housed her little Velvet Room lounge. The trees, though numerous, seemed to part for him as he passed.

"Tamamo!" he called again. Before he could get very far, a familiar voice stopped him.

"It's you," said the voice, airy and young.

Minato whirled around, instinctively taking a step back when he met Pharos's bright blue eyes. He stopped, forcing himself to still even though he never looked away from that unnerving gaze.

"Pharos," he greeted as calmly as he could muster.

Death. He was standing before _Death_. Incomplete and amnesiac, maybe, but still a mass of the Shadows that went bump in the night.

Unaware of his innermost thoughts, Pharos smiled. "It's been a while. She's been waiting for you."

Minato eyed him suspiciously. "You know where Tamamo is?"

The boy in the striped pajamas dipped his head in a nod. "You were away for a while and didn't seem to be talking, so I kept her company while she slept."

Guilt and fear hit Minato in equal measures. Alone. He'd left his Other _alone_ and in the mercies of Death's company, however incomplete he still was.

…Wait, "slept"?

"She's been sleeping?" he asked, hesitantly. That didn't sound quite right. Tamamo had never seemed to sleep, even after she apparently rediscovered her inner world and the way to return to it. That last conversation with her had been the first he'd ever heard of her being able to sleep let alone dream again.

"Yes," Pharos replied blithely. "She hasn't woken up since you left that time, actually."

A cold weight dropped in Minato's stomach and a creaking groan made him look up to find the half-finished forest shuddering, the trees shaking and swaying in an imaginary wind. Forcing himself to calm until the trees settled, Minato looked squarely at Pharos, putting away his fear of Death (and death) for now. "Take me to her."

* * *

"All of this started appearing a few days ago," Pharos explained as they walked through the underbrush, "it was quite interesting to watch."

"Was it dangerous?" Minato asked as he lifted a hand to push away a low-hanging branch only to startle when it moved on its own and out of his way. He eyed it warily when it waited patiently for him to pass before resettling. "They move… Did they try to hurt you guys?"

He hadn't exactly been having the most charitable thoughts towards either of them, after all. If the trees had done something in reaction to that and hurt Tamamo while he was unaware…

Pharos shook his head, idly swaying on his feet until Minato was moving forward again. "No, but they're awfully protective. They try to cover her a lot and don't like letting go. I wasn't sure when she would wake up, but I don't think she'd like being covered like that so I tried to keep them away." He gave a small hum, looking thoughtful. "Actually, it's been a while since I went to find you once I felt you were back. They might've tried to reclaim her again. But it should be fine now that you're here. This way."

Minato followed diligently, ignoring that "should" was not a definite assurance. Still, this _was_ his mind (well, his and technically Tamamo's, but she always insisted it was just his) so he had to have some confidence that he could take control of any situation that could occur.

Regardless, he let Pharos continue to lead until they arrived at a clearing with what appeared to be a shallow lake. Minato fixated on the water, which was deep blue in color and nearly glowing against the starlit forest floor. Was this what had become of Tamamo's corner?

"They did get to her," Pharos commented, sounding intrigued. He peered up at Minato, smiling. "You really are quite a protective person, aren't you?"

Minato said nothing, for he was too focused on what Pharos had pointed out. In the middle of the shallow pool was a small island, and on that island was what looked to be a veritable nest of branches. Mildly disturbed, Minato made his way across the lake until he reached the island, pulling parts of the nest away until he could clearly see his Other sleeping, cradled amidst the leaves.

He tugged at the nest and found that it was much sturdier than it looked. Frowning, he considered the structure, its connection to his mind, and Pharos's words just moments before.

Letting his hands fall away, he took a step back. Then, eyes on Tamamo through the opening he'd managed to create, he ordered, "Let her go."

And the nest opened, unwinding and gently depositing his Other onto the grassy floor of the small island (which he noted now was also Velvet Room blue in color) before him. She didn't move as the branches left her, deep asleep.

Minato kneeled and hesitantly reached out only to stop short just before his hand could so much as brush her shoulder. He pulled back, just watching her breathe, scared of what could happen. If he tried, and she woke up, what would he say to her now that he was before her? He hadn't exactly gone in with a plan. Just a thought that he could _maybe_ understand the reason he had to die even though he didn't entirely agree with it. Greater good or no.

Conversely, if he tried, and she _didn't_ wake up…

He barely noticed when Pharos sat beside him. He did, however, jump when the boy reached out and poked Tamamo's forehead with a pale finger, hand shooting out too late to stop him.

"He's back," Pharos said, apparently uncaring that his wrist had been snatched by Minato. "You should wake up now."

Tamamo didn't respond, continuing to sleep. Pharos turned, bright blue eyes looking up expectantly at Minato as if to say, "See? This is your job. Don't be a coward now. You've fought pieces of me and survived, for pity's sake, what's so scary about waking up the girl who's lived in your head all your life?"

Well. Okay. Probably not that much, but it got the message across.

Sighing, Minato reached out again and managed to place his hand on Tamamo's shoulder, shaking it gently. "Tamamo, wake up. I'm… I'm here."

It didn't take much more than that, evidently, because her eyes fluttered open not a second later—all disconcerting blue and red—before locking onto his.

Before he even knew what was happening, he was knocked back, something squeezing around his ribs as he narrowly avoided falling back into the water. Dazed from the impact, he looked down to find that Tamamo had evidently tackled him and was now clinging to his torso. She was also babbling something that he couldn't quite understand until he managed to push himself up some and refocus.

What he heard just about broke his heart.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she chanted, voice thick. "I know you asked, but I shouldn't have… I should've… I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…!"

"Tamamo," he said, but her voice bulldozed through his.

"It's always been at the back of my mind, why I'm here. I know it sounds like an excuse, but I never bothered to really try to change things because I always felt as if they were set in stone. Or something," she rambled, a note of desperation in her voice as she tried to get the words out. Minato wondered if this was what he had stopped her from saying right before he left. "But when you looked at me like that… I just… I felt so ugly and useless. I know it won't make up for anything, but I swear, I'll do everything I can to help you. I won't let you die. I refuse to. I told Pharos that your survival is my priority so I will definitely keep my word from now on. I won't—"

"Tamamo," he said again, sitting up fully and placing his hands on her shoulders.

Her voice stopped abruptly from where she was ranting into his chest (and he was struck again by how very _small_ she was now) and she looked up, trepidation in her bicolored eyes.

He took a breath. "I'm not going to say it's okay. Because it isn't. Not really. Everything you told me… really shook me up. To be honest, it still scares the hell out of me and I can't help but hate you for telling me now and not helping me try to avoid it earlier." Shit. Dammit! Too far! Back up! "So yeah, it's not completely okay and I'm pretty sure I'm still on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Or still in one. I can't really tell."

The look on Tamamo's face told him that it would have been kinder to just shoot her in the heart right then. She pulled away and sat limply in front of him, looking like a marionette with its strings cut out.

"Sorry," he bit out. "That isn't what I… I mean, I've had a lot on my mind since you told me, and that came up a lot and—wait, no, that's not…" He sighed before eventually going with, "I didn't mean to say that. As you can probably see, I'm a bit of an emotional wreck right now."

After a long moment, Tamamo shook her head, hurt fading into something tired and subdued. "No."

Minato blinked at her, incredulous. "Huh?"

"You _are_ an emotional wreck right now. The fact that you said even half of that proves it," Tamamo said, bluntly agreeing with his description. "But you have a reason to be. Even if you say something with emotions running high, there's still a grain of truth in it." There was a bitter undertone to her words just then, but he had no time to dwell on it when she continued, "It's fine."

He doubted that she was as unaffected as her carefully schooled expression indicated, having seen the hurt that had been on her face just moments before, but he didn't push it. Things were still too raw to poke at when he still had other things to say.

Sighing again, he mulled over _what_ he wanted to say, trying to string the words together in a coherent sentence. "Everything that you told me… it was because I said I wanted to know. Maybe you could've said something sooner… but I might not have listened anyway. I don't know. I've had some time to think it over, but I still… I don't know." He gave a wry smile. "What's done is done. This is the path we're on, so we'll just have to abide by Igor's contract as best we can and take responsibility for the choices we made."

When Tamamo didn't answer, he looked to her. Whether she'd heard him or not, he didn't know, for her attention was fixed on their surroundings, eyebrows furrowed.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Her eyes flicked back to him for a moment before slipping back to the trees surrounding the clearing, swooping downwards to the shallow pool of glowing water before lifting back up again to the canopy. When she spoke, it was in such a carefully measured manner that it put him on edge, "How long has it been?"

Minato blinked. "What do you mean?"

"The last thing I remember," his Other began slowly, "was talking to you in my mind. You left and I followed you. And then we were here." If he hadn't seen the way she seemed to close off her own inner world in order to suppress herself, Minato would have mistaken her blank expression for calm. "All of _this_ … wasn't here before. And from the way you were talking… you said that you've had time to go over this. Longer than the few seconds it seemed for me to wake up again. So how…?"

She didn't seem willing to finish the question again.

As gently as he could even with his mind and pulse racing at the implications, Minato counted the days that had gone by (which were surprisingly few for how long they'd felt) and answered, just as slowly, "It's been five days." When he saw her still, he felt he should elaborate and so continued, "Summer classes ended yesterday. There were four days after our, er, talk. Today's the day of the summer festival held at Naganaki Shrine."

"Five days…" Tamamo mumbled. She let out a shaky breath and she blinked hard several times in quick succession. "Five days, huh? W—wow. That's…" She let out a laugh that sounded as forced as it looked. "Shorter than I thought! Thank goodness. I mean, I've heard of losing time as you got older but that puts a whole new spin on things, ha…"

"I blocked you," Minato said, ignoring her attempt at cheer. Guilt stirred in his stomach, warring viciously with self-justification. "I'm sorry. I didn't think… I didn't know you would lose time like that."

"I didn't know either," Tamamo admitted, wilting. "The times you practiced blocking me before were nothing like… that. But I guess if you willed it hard enough…" She shrugged. "This is your mind, after all. In a battle of wills, you'll probably overpower me any day if you really tried."

He didn't know what to say to that, so he only repeated, "I'm sorry."

She gave him a brittle smile at that, lifting a hand to gently pat his head. "It's okay. You needed that time to think. And I'm glad you got to determine things on your own like that." She gestured at their surroundings, a wan smile on her face. "This forest must represent that."

"You know what this is?" Minato asked, curious and desperate for a change in subject that didn't involve them pitying themselves any further. "I didn't do anything in my mindscape while I was thinking. Today's the first day I've been back since then and it was just here. Pharos…" He looked around before noticing belatedly that the child Death had disappeared. "Well, he said that he got to see it 'grow'."

Tamamo nodded. "It's like my inner world, which is basically _my_ mindscape. I don't know the meaning of it exactly, but I think the ocean and tree that you saw there represent that I've 'found' myself. My way of life and whatnot. The fact that this forest is in yours must mean that you're maturing."

"It's still growing," he said, feeling that it had to be said. He still didn't know how he knew, but he did.

"Then you probably are, too," she replied easily.

She sounded much better than before. Her voice was surer and her smile steady as opposed to fragile. Minato didn't doubt that she was still shaken, but some form of returning to normalcy appeared to give her the footing she needed.

"So? Wanna fill me in about what I've missed these past few days?" she prodded. "Other than the fact that you're growing the Forbidden Forest in your head, I mean."

He snorted at the reference—secretly hoping that that wasn't actually the case because acromantulas sounded horrifying—and, taking a little time to recall everything that happened, obliged.

* * *

Five days, Minato had told her. Five days had passed (well, four and some fraction of a day, but she was never really good at math) since their "talk" even though it barely felt like a second to her. It was a frightening thought. And no matter how hard she tried to focus solely on what Minato was telling her about his days since she told him just about everything, her mind kept going back to that little fact.

Five days lost, added to the years she'd been asleep for his first years of life. Five days during which Minato struggled through what was basically a BSOD, trying to keep himself from drowning in the information she'd dropped on his head. Without her, because her help—or lack thereof—had gotten him into that mess in the first place.

It was her failing, Tamamo knew.

In the moment she saw him start to crumble in her inner world, flinching away from her when she had tried to reach out to him, she realized how badly she had dealt with the situation. She tried to think of all the justifications she had given while Minato was growing up, but they all came back to her, mocking and hollow.

It was a consequence of living in his mind, it seemed. Tamamo lived with Minato, witnessed his life as it went on, but she was still _detached_ in some way. It was morbidly like playing a video game; she watched as events rolled by in his life, could influence them in some ways, but ultimately she was an outsider. She had allowed Minato to keep going along his allotted path in life with a mind to possibly change things, but like the hypocrite she was, she stood by and let canon happen anyways.

And he suffered for it, even more so when she told him of the future she'd seen and the implications that she had done nothing to prevent it. Had actively encouraged it.

It was a wonder that he didn't keep her sealed up forever, to be honest. If it had been her, she would have thrown her into some abyss of her mindscape and never let her out. And _her_ mindscape had an ocean. She probably would have just stuck this metaphorical Other Her there and cackled over the fact that she had actually dumped a body into the sea.

But Minato was good. A much better person than her. If she hadn't seen him nearly sneer at bullies and manipulate certain situations to his favor with almost callous disregard, she would have thought that he didn't have a spiteful bone in his body.

Which was actually kind of a relief, knowing that he wasn't some perfect saint. But she digressed.

"Wow," Tamamo said simply when Minato finished talking, ending his tale with a note about his meeting with little Maiko at the festival and the revelation he'd come up with shortly after. She'd only been vaguely listening, but years of being with him and having his thoughts as her sole company had her easily attuned to what he said and didn't say. Five days was not enough to erase that, at least. "…I didn't think Shinjiro would be the type to just go out and do that."

"Really?" Minato looked doubtful. "You're the one who said he had hidden depths and all."

"I don't think I said exactly that," she replied blandly, though she knew she had probably implied it. Or maybe she had said it outright. She couldn't remember. "I guess I just thought he was more the type to hover worriedly in the background."

"I think he does." There was a small shrug. "But when I ran into him, he said I looked like death warmed over. So maybe he just felt like he couldn't leave it alone."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Maybe." Then, shaking her head, she said, "Still, it really is good that you got this time to think things over for yourself. It sounds like you reached a conclusion you can be somewhat peaceful with, too."

It wasn't settled, though. Not by a long shot, if she had any say in the matter.

Minato had determined that there was an outcome that he could agree with, somewhat, on the chance that the events to come would end in his death.

Having been faced with how truly despicable she was, however, Tamamo could firmly say that she would do whatever she could to ensure that he was able to live far beyond that fated graduation day. She would need a lot of help, but she had his arsenal of Personas to badger and was considered a guest of the Velvet Room by proxy. That, joined with her burgeoning not-quite human powers… in short, she felt she had a good chance of finding _some_ sort of alternative.

Once she sent Minato off back to reality with firm reassurance that she was fine and that they could continue talking later, after he took a day to just _relax_ and hang out with his friends at the festival, Tamamo stood in the middle of her little island, frowning.

"Pharos," she called after a moment of deliberation. And even though she had been expecting it, it still took a bit of willpower to not jump when the boy materialized at her side.

"Yes?" he asked, placid expression innocent. His eyes were as unnervingly blue as they'd always been, just as they always held _that_ much more awareness each time she saw him. He regained more of his memories every full moon, but his interactions with her and Minato gave him pieces of humanity at a (hopefully) faster pace. He didn't show it overtly, still overwhelmingly otherworldly, but it was in the little things. The Pharos of several months ago would not have given her and Minato the semblance of privacy to catch up, for instance.

She eyed him thoughtfully, trying to spot the mask of Ryoji Mochizuki that he would possibly later don after the defeat of the Arcana Hanged Man. But then she stowed her observations away for now, focusing instead on the more pressing matter and resolving that she would get back to it later. "Would you happen to know where the door to the Velvet Room is?"

It had led to nowhere the first time she tried opening it, but something told her it would be different this time around.

And if it wasn't… well, she was overdue a chat with Orpheus anyway.


	31. Come Hell or High Water

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : I would just like to take the time to tell my readers how much I appreciate them, with shout-outs to those who've taken the time to review—even just once. Because I am right there with all the readers who often feel awkward reviewing fics. So to those of you who press that little submit button, here's to you for being made of braver stuff than I.

On that note, I got a message a little while ago regarding some sort of group project thing about tips other writers would give to those starting out or in need of help. While flattered that my writing is apparently nice enough to warrant that request, I was more caught on the topic of others being discouraged from writing because they feel that their grammar or general grasp on the English language is lacking (whether native speakers or not). To them and to any of you reading who _want_ to write but share similar concerns, I say that it's like… drawing. You don't start out with gorgeous paintings with appropriate lighting, color balance, anatomy, and whatnot. You start small. And you keep drawing. It's the same with writing. You go in with an idea and _write._ And you don't stop because the only way to get better is to _keep writing_. Don't think about writing a certain length, or how many readers you want or reviews you'll get. If you do that, you'll never be happy because you'll be too busy trying to write the perfect piece and burn yourself out. Write about something as mundane as a day in the life of a snail or a swashbuckling adventure on the Caribbean—just so long as you're writing. Even if it makes you cringe not even an hour after you write it, pat yourself on the back because _you're still writing_ and thus _improving_ little by little. And that's the best thing you can do for yourself.

And now that that little piece of text is over with, let's stop padding this chapter and get right to it, yeah? This will likely feel rather filler-y and for that I apologize, but just keep in mind that bits and pieces may prove important later on!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-One  
**

* * *

Falling back into step with the world around him felt like it should have been harder, but Minato managed to fall into some form of normalcy with little fanfare. He supposed he had his friends to thank. They kept their distance while he was busy having a meltdown, but not to the point of walking eggshells around him. It made it easier to transition back into routine without the need for awkward apologies and assurances.

That was not to say that he entirely ignored their careful concern. It was just that instead of addressing it verbally, he chose to do it with action.

" _I think you skipped a step there,_ " Tamamo said wryly as Minato stepped through the threshold and into Tartarus's lobby.

 _I always avoid Tartarus when I'm not feeling well or they aren't,_ Minato reasoned back. _This is the best way I can show them that I'm feeling better._

His Other made a dubious sound but otherwise didn't contradict him, instead settling back to watch and likely begin her own preparations for battle (whatever they were).

Minato caught Fuuka's eye as the other members of SEES set up shop. Her gaze was measured and she didn't shrink back when he looked at her fully like he thought she would. Instead, she gave a gentle smile. "Let's do our best, Minato-kun."

 _I'm glad you're all right,_ he translated. Dipping his head in a nod, he replied, "Please take care of me. As always."

Fuuka chuckled and nodded in return before going off to speak with Yukari, who stood off to the side prepping her bow. Junpei wandered over not a few moments later, engaging the girls in conversation while they waited.

"Any plans for today?" came Akihiko's voice from behind. "Or is this just the usual session?"

The usual session being, if Minato was right, running through previous floors and simply eliminating what Shadows they came across. There were some days when he led them through with purpose, such as reaching the barrier to the next block or fulfilling Elizabeth's requests (not that the rest of SEES knew), but others were spent training. The next full moon wasn't for a while yet, but they all had to keep on their toes.

There was no telling if another Shadow would slip from the nest, after all. Like the one that was found near the shrine.

"The usual," Minato replied. "We'll start off slow to warm up and get to higher floors when we're ready."

The boxer gave a hum of acquiescence before walking off to where Mitsuru was, likely relaying his words.

Minato saw the redhead nod and continue speaking in hushed tones with her fellow senior. He frowned at the sight, eyes trailing back to the group in his own class year before settling on the wide divide that separated them. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it happen—it'd been that way since day one, really, but it seemed even more blatant than before.

 _Is this going to be a problem?_ he wondered.

"… _not so much a problem_ ," Tamamo said. " _The SEES I remember has always been rather… professional. You all weren't so much_ friends _as you were, ah, colleagues? Coworkers? Something like that. It kind of got better later, but it always felt like a sort of distant relationship to me._ "

 _I'm surprised you don't have a solution in mind for this,_ he said half-jokingly.

" _Oh, um. No, not really. Would you like me to? I might be able to think of something, but—_ "

 _No, it's fine,_ he replied, smothering a laugh. _As much as it bothers me, I can tell it doesn't take as much priority as some of the… other cases. And if it works itself out originally, then it should work itself out again somehow, right?_

" _I guess…_ " was his Other's reply. And he could tell by the tone she said it in that she was thinking about it anyway.

With an amused, resigned sigh, he left her to it and went to the Velvet Room to finish his own preparations before gathering his team for the night.

* * *

"Whoa," Fuuka heard Junpei say through her connection with Lucia. His voice was too low to be shouting across the battlefield and he definitely wasn't using the communicators provided to the rest of SEES when he continued, "That was new. Hey, Yuka-tan, does he—" there was a pause and a grunt "—does he seem different to you?"

"Different how?" Yukari asked, sounding somewhat breathless. There was the sound of an arrow being released, followed by the distant sound of Shadow flesh being struck.

"I dunno. Just—different," Junpei said and Fuuka suppressed a smile because that was a very Junpei-like answer, as she'd come to observe. When he didn't want to be direct, or didn't know how to without fumbling, he gave such understatements that said everything and nothing.

Another pause. Then, "Actually, yeah, I think I get what you mean. He is… different. Somehow."

He was, Fuuka agreed. There was a different sense of purpose in his steps. Even if this nightly session was just a routine run through Tartarus, the way their leader held himself was different. It made him almost intimidating to look at, and yet enthralling. Like a soldier walking off to war.

Well, they were all soldiers, she supposed. But the way Minato looked now seemed to have the bearing of one, only wearing the cloak of a normal high school student when he had to.

" _Is this your doing?_ " Fuuka sent out to the familiar extra presence, tagging alongside Minato's far up in the tower's corridors.

It took a moment, as she was likely as engaged in the battle as he was, before Tamamo replied, " _Yes and no. I told him something life-changing, but the way he changed was all up to him._ "

It said very little about what went on through those worrying days when the boy felt like little more than a husk, but Fuuka felt something relax in her regardless. Then, Lucia's senses caught the last Shadow in their vicinity being slain and she spoke up, smiling, "No Shadows detected. The battle's over."

* * *

"So when _is_ the supposed destined day?" Minato asked that night, left too awake even after the run through Tartarus. He was cautious about saying too much, wondering what Pharos would take from anything they said to one another if he was listening in. The boy/Shadow had never seemed to connect directly to his mind, feeling what he felt and hearing his thoughts like Tamamo did, so he was hesitant about being too direct.

" _If things go the exact same way, you're looking at January 31st,_ " Tamamo replied. She was quiet as he turned on the light and rolled out of bed to retrieve his notebook, marking the date down in the back before padding over to his calendar to add the full moon dates in between. " _…Do you have a list of the first twelve Arcanas?_ "

Minato flipped through the pages to present the list he'd made when researching months before. It had all of the Major Arcana listed, but a line had been drawn beneath the Hanged Man, with each Arcana Shadow they fought resulting in their respective name to be scratched out of the list. The next few, he saw, were the Hermit, Fortune, Strength, and the Hanged Man itself.

" _Hermit should be fought alone for the next full moon,_ " Tamamo informed him, voice thoughtful. " _Some electric thing. It'll be located beneath the club in the mall, if I remember correctly._ "

He dutifully wrote that down by its respective date, noting that he would have to keep an eye on what notebook he lent out to prevent any unwanted questions from popping up. Maybe keep a note on his laptop instead? Or his cellphone?

" _Technology is too easily accessed, you'd be better off just getting a smaller notebook to keep on your person or making a cipher,_ " his Other said dismissively in response to his silent brainstorming. " _I know a relatively easy one that you can probably use, but it uses English letters. We'll go over that later. October 4th should be the battle of Fortune and Strength._ "

Humming, Minato added that down.

" _That's also the date that Shinjiro Aragaki is meant to die._ "

He coughed. "R—Really?"

" _Yes,_ " Tamamo replied solemnly. " _That's the anniversary of Ken's mother's death. Poetic, no?_ "

"Not really," Minato said, shifting uncomfortably. After having had that small chat with the senior, learning his opinion that gave Minato the strength to form his own, he'd formed a high amount of respect for him. Especially considering the older teen had gone out of his way to make sure Minato ate, even when he had no obligation to do so other than formerly belonging to the little club that Minato now led. While he was aware, intellectually, that Tamamo told him Shinjiro was forging a path to his own death in search of redemption, hearing it spoken so straightforwardly was… unsettling.

" _Yeah, I didn't really think so either when I saw it happen. Hence why I really want to do something about Ken Amada… I've got an idea in mind, but I'll run that by you a little later when I have the execution more ironed out._ "

"Plans for the operations, plans for the Fall, plans for Ken and Senpai…" he mused wryly. "Trying to make plans for everything, huh?"

" _I usually do even if I don't always share them. Have I ever told you that I was a Slytherin?_ "

Minato blinked at the non sequitur. "From that story about the boy… 'Harī'?"

" _Harry Potter,_ " Tamamo supplied, sounding out the foreign name with ease. " _But yes. Sorted with the 'official quiz' and everything. I'm a snake and this type of thing is generally in my nature. Anyway, I don't remember where the confrontation with Strength and Fortune happen. Might be the station again, but the memory is hazy. The Hanged Man, however, is at the Moonlight Bridge on November 3rd._ "

Nonplussed, Minato added the information to the page, eyes scanning the recent entries before looking over the dates left over before January 31st. There were two: December 2nd and December 31st. Minato tapped at the dates with the capped side of his pen, thoughtful. "There are two full moons in December…?"

" _It happens. It's called a 'blue moon', if I recall correctly. Happens once every… two or three years? I'm not sure. I just know it since I looked up the idiom 'once in a blue moon'. The Internet is a useful thing, but not always the most accurate._ "

"True enough," he agreed. "Does anything happen on these dates?"

His Other hummed. " _Nothing on the 2nd as far as I know. All I can remember is that those last two months are spent climbing Tartarus in preparation of reaching the uppermost block to confront Nyx Avatar at the appointed time._ "

Minato nodded, ignoring the spike of trepidation in his chest at the reminder.

" _I'm working on that, too,_ " Tamamo said absently but not unkindly, likely in response to what he tried to leave unsaid. " _I managed to contact Elizabeth for a short time… It's a bit difficult for me to connect since I'm not you, but we can… exchange notes, you could say._ " She huffed. " _I have to get back to her later, though. The Velvet Room is frustrating because the residents are helpful to you on your Journey, but they won't necessarily go out of their way to do something while you're on it. So they don't interfere with your decisions and the fate you weave for yourself._ "

"True neutrals, then," he concluded.

" _I could probably make an argument for them being more of a Lawful type, but yeah, more or less._ "

"Anything I should know for the upcoming operation, then?" he asked instead of inquiring about _that_ little project. While it was relieving in some respects, there was a part of him that didn't want to know too much for fear of getting his hopes up.

"… _Junpei might get a girl._ "

If he had been drinking something, he would have done a spit-take. As insulting as it was on Junpei's behalf. It wasn't that there was anything wrong with the other guy. He was just so girl-crazy at times when he wasn't focused on the Dark Hour that the idea of it was… somewhat hard to imagine.

Amused, Tamamo added, " _I'll do you one better: she's the girl of Strega._ "

He choked.

His Other didn't say anything, but she was clearly entertained as she told him what she recalled of the encounter. A simple tale of boy meets girl, where the boy is amiable and the girl is acidic, and from the point of view of an outsider it could be the start of a typical love story. Even the matter that they were on two opposing sides would not detract from the idea. Star-crossed love was always popular.

The story gave him a very _Romeo and Juliet_ -esque vibe as it continued on. Because most things related to the Dark Hour tended to end, if not tragically, in a very bittersweet manner. His life, for instance.

"You have a plan for that, too, don't you," he said when Tamamo ended the story with the Strega girl's, Chidori's, death and Junpei's resolution. He saw it coming, called it, but damn. Poor Junpei.

" _Somewhat,_ " Tamamo admitted. " _It's shaky, though, because some things regarding Junpei have already changed. So who can tell if his encounter with her now will go the same?_ "

"But you'll still try."

" _Yes._ " It was said without hesitation. " _Like I said, I've been saying a lot but not doing enough to back it up. I'm hoping to try to change that… I want to let you guys reach a happier ending. Somehow._ "

"Don't burn yourself out," Minato warned, frowning.

She chuckled. " _I won't. You're the natural Agi-user._ I'm _Zio affinity. Electricity. Lightning. I'm just going to do what I'm meant to._ "

"Which is…?"

Her reply was cheerful. " _I'm going to strike a path ahead so that your flame can burn for as long and brilliantly as possible._ "

It scared him how much that sounded like a promise.

* * *

Long after Minato finally turned in, Tamamo stood, leaning against a tree, before the door to the Velvet Room. Said door was fused to the trunk of another tree (reminding her eerily of the holiday realm trees à la _The Nightmare Before Christmas_ ; not that she was complaining since she loved that movie), currently pulled open as she stared into the space beyond.

Elizabeth stared back, yellow eyes glimmering.

"So you think it could work?" Tamamo asked. She didn't bother to raise her voice or move closer. Even with the abyss that stretched between Minato's mind and the Velvet Room on the other side, preventing either from crossing over, they could hear one another just fine.

"It has potential," the Velvet Room attendant replied, voice so smooth it was almost a purr. "As my master and I have stated, you are both connected in ways that even we did not expect. By now, either of you should have fully integrated with the other or cast the other out entirely… yet you remain intertwined—together, but individual nonetheless."

Tamamo snorted. "We sound like some sort of soul paradox."

"It is quite vexing to try to understand," Elizabeth agreed. Her lips quirked. "But you must be relieved, as it is this strange relationship you both share that has allowed you to come up with this… solution."

" _Possible_ solution," Tamamo corrected with a sigh. Slowly, she slid down until she was sitting, absently pulling her hair out from where it was caught between her back and the tree trunk. "Like you said, it has potential. There are still details I need to iron out before it can even be attempted… Even then, there's no way to actually do a trial run for it."

Elizabeth hummed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. She, too, lowered herself until she was sitting languidly, though she was right at the edge of the Velvet Room's door, one leg dangling over the abyss.

Tamamo paused. "…Do you think he'll hate me for it? I mean… it'll be painful."

"Should it work, it is not as though he will be the only one to give something," Elizabeth pointed out. "But your worries are understandable. You will be asking him to give up half of his soul. If it succeeds and all goes well, it will be a pain deeper than losing even one of his limbs, but just as permanent. You will condemn him to a half-life. One that he can gradually heal through, but never fully."

"But he'll be alive."

"Indeed."

"If it works, anyway."

"Of course."

There was a short, contemplative silence as Tamamo weighed their exchange. As much as she didn't like it, she knew that Elizabeth raised a fair point. If the plan worked, Minato wouldn't have to give up his life, but it would rip away an intrinsic part of him. The procedure would undoubtedly leave him wounded. And the scar that would be left over would likely always be raw. Sensitive.

A pain that he would have to live with forever.

Would he want to live if it meant dealing with that pain for the rest of his life? Or would it be kinder to just let him die there, to serve as the Great Seal, as he was meant to?

Tamamo scowled at the fabric of her Gekkoukan High skirt, bunching the hem up in her hands.

No. She wouldn't let him die. Even if he came to hate her for it, for that pain, she would not let him die.

"He'll just have to learn to live with it," she said decisively. Stubbornly. "Time heals, especially with good company. And he'll have plenty of that after." She laughed. "Come hell or Nyx Avatar, I will always be with him, after all."

Elizabeth smiled, and though it was still not quite human, the sight was much warmer than any Tamamo had seen from her before.

* * *

"Is it just me or are there suspiciously few Apathy Syndrome victims right now?" Yukari asked as the group of four teens wandered through the Paulownia Mall.

The other three stared at her before exchanging a round of looks. Fuuka's eyes darted upwards as she murmured numbers under her breath. The boys waited until the teal-haired girl gasped. "T—That's right. This is the usual time that Apathy Syndrome starts to show fully…"

Minato brought up the date in his head. It wasn't hard since he'd taken to keeping it in mind ever since keeping track of the lunar cycle became relevant. "August 22nd. The next full moon is on September 5th…"

"That's about… two weeks?" Yukari guessed. She sighed. "Man, it's harder to keep track of the days while we're on break for some reason…"

"Yeah. It's almost like I expect all that crap to be put on hold," Junpei agreed. "I mean it's nice that it won't happen 'til we're back in school, but…"

"It's just another thing to worry about," Fuuka finished for him.

There was a round of nods and the little group drifted off into silence, each stewing in their own thoughts. It was only when several minutes passed by with no signs of it stopping that Yukari forcefully clapped her hands together, abruptly bringing them all out of their reveries.

"Ookay, enough brooding. Minato-kun does enough of that for all of us!"

"Hey," Minato protested, only slightly joking as Fuuka and Junpei laughed.

"We're here to hang out and have fun! Unwind! We can leave worrying about that stuff for later since we already know when it's going to come up." It said a lot about Yukari that she could say such things now when she had been the worst of them early on. Human adaptability, indeed. "Right now, we're just going to be teenagers in a mall. Now come on! Fuuka, I see a nice store we can look through. Follow me!"

"I thought Minato was the leader," Junpei snarked.

Fuuka giggled from her place ahead of them, trying to keep up with Yukari who looked determined to be a normal teenager or die trying. "I guess this is a place where Yukari-chan has more experience to lead us in."

"That's fine with me," Minato said. "I'd probably only get us lost."

With another laugh, the teal-haired girl picked up her pace to follow Yukari into the store while the boys slowed down behind them, content to wait outside while they browsed. Junpei took a spot by the railing, leaning casually against it while Minato simply sat down on the floor.

And though a part of him still focused on how much time he had left and how _this may be the last time_ , he found he could more easily shove those thoughts and feelings down. Shove them down and turn to what he'd tentatively decided for himself, to live and do his best for the sake of himself and others and the future. Because even if he wasn't there to enjoy it with them, just knowing that he'd contributed to a future they could share gave him some measure of peace.

"It's so weird, isn't it?" Junpei spoke up.

Minato lifted his head slightly to glance up at him. The other boy wasn't looking at him, instead staring down at the lower level of the mall. But even with such little context, he felt he knew what he was talking about. "…Yeah. It is."

"It's like I said earlier: with everything like _this_ in the day, it's hard to think that something like the Dark Hour exists," the capped teen admitted quietly. He gave a bitter chuckle. "What's worse is that nobody will ever realize it, y'know? We're practically superheroes fighting evil every night… and nobody will ever know."

" _Sometimes the greatest tales are the ones never told,_ " Tamamo agreed, " _and they are all the greater for it_."

Minato took in both of their words. He found he agreed with both of them. And yet… "But we'll know."

There was a long pause after his simple answer, and he could practically feel Junpei turning his words over in his head. Just as Tamamo was doing.

"Regular partners against crime," Junpei said, echoing the words he'd said months ago. It was strange to hear him sound so serious, but Minato couldn't help but feel honored to see this other side to his friend. "All of us, taking on a whole other world… Yeah." And then he laughed, the sound lighter. "A group of heroes fight against the forces of evil in the darkest hour! Headed by their sleepy-headed captain—"

" _Hey_." What was with the comments about him that day?

"—and his dashing right-hand man! With otherworldly power, our heroes face terrifying monsters and protect the world, one night at a time!"

Minato snorted, unable to stop the grin from tugging at his lips. "Have you ever thought of becoming a voice actor or something? You sound like one of those anime announcers."

"Actually yeah, I have. Though I was thinking more for video games, y'know, that would be _sweet_ , but I liked baseball too much to go to some voice acting school and my old man's, well…"

"It's good to have options. I wanted to be a detective for a bit when I was a kid."

* * *

As Minato and Junpei's conversation flowed on from there, Tamamo gave a contemplative hum. She replayed Junpei's theatrical words in her head, trying to match them up with the tattered memories she could still dredge up from a lifetime ago.

He'd been teasing Minato, but the wording had changed greatly if she recalled them correctly. In the game, he had, at the very least, implied that he was the main hero. That he was the leader of their group. That was why Chidori had kidnapped him, in hopes that he would try to save his own skin by calling off the mission when he actually had no authority to do so. But this time, even though he was saying it to Minato, he'd acknowledged Minato as the leader and himself as Minato's right-hand.

Truth or not, that was one hell of a distinction to make.

And if he told Chidori the same thing if or when they met, if his interactions with Minato were enough to alter that particular aspect, then…

She grimaced.

"Well. _That_ calls for a new plan."


	32. Changing Seasons

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Aha… hahaha… ha… I've no excuses. Life is just really, really, _really_ mean.

Anyways, Happy Holidays to those that celebrate and many thank yous to those who have been patient and apologies for the long wait. I still can't promise any sort of stable updating schedule, but I will do my best to keep this story going until it's finished!

Also, reading the early chapters of this story that I did for my insane "30 chapters in 30 days" NANOWRIMO challenge (even though I only made it to 26) is so cringe-inducing. I don't know how I did it and I don't know how it made people stick around, but kudos to all of you, seriously. When this story is done, I'll probably go back and edit them to be more… palatable, I guess? But judging on how long it takes me now to update, that'll probably be a long time incoming.

Fair warning, this chapter jumps a lot. I don't consider it filler since things do happen that tie in to stuff later on, but it will probably feel that way. Good news is that means more exciting stuff will happen next, so yay for that! (Whenever that may be, haha!)

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Two  
**

* * *

After everything Tamamo had told him, including the fact that he was housing the amnesiac Death in his head, Minato supposed he could be forgiven for expecting that their little group bonding sessions in his head would stop.

They didn't.

That much was evident to him now, staring blankly at the wall of trees in his mind, standing in the middle of a clearing filled with blue fireflies. Tamamo stood near the center of the clearing, holding a clear jar. Pharos moved nearby, a bug-catching net in hand, looking puzzled but dutifully trying to catch the fireflies.

Minato carefully strode up to his Other, unable to help keeping a cautious eye on the child Death. "Hey."

Tamamo turned as he approached, smiling so blithely that he reached up to tug on a lock of her hair. "Hey, yourself. Ready for school?"

He shrugged, eyes still glued on Pharos. His net was glowing slightly with caught fireflies. "It's something to do. Junpei's acting like it's the end of the world, though."

That earned him a dry look, which he responded to with a placid blink of his eyes. Her expression cracked into a smile, so he counted that as his win. As if sensing his thoughts, she rolled her eyes and turned to call, "Pharos! That's enough, let's put those in the jar."

The boy came over obediently and it took some effort for Minato not to step away and drag Tamamo with him. If either noticed, they didn't say, instead busying themselves with carefully transferring the oddly-colored fireflies into the jar and conjuring a lid to keep them there. Once the lid was in place, Tamamo handed it over to Pharos to inspect, which he did with interest and confusion.

"So what's the occasion?" Minato asked.

Tamamo shrugged as she straightened. "Not much apart from the usual. Though I would like to ask if you've noticed the Apathy Syndrome victims sprouting up."

He grimaced. "Yeah, they're starting to come around." They were hard to miss, actually, no matter how hard people tried to ignore them lingering in the street corners like ghosts. "Not that I'm surprised. Just a little more than a week now."

Nine days, if he was doing his math right. Which meant that the number of cases was likely to rise up rapidly in the coming days. And as disturbing as that was, it certainly gave him the motivation to fight the next Arcana Shadow.

"Are you both speaking about the next ordeal?" Pharos spoke up suddenly, startling Minato.

"Pretty much," Tamamo replied before Minato could say anything. Her lips quirked. "Guessing there's nothing much you can tell us about it?"

Pharos shook his head, looking back down at the jar of fireflies in his hands. After a long moment, it seemed as if he had lost himself in the soft glowing lights. But then, "So you're still going to fight?"

"Yep." Tamamo kneeled, poking at the glass of the jar and watching as the fireflies fluttered around inside.

"Even if it is the wish of the people for the Fall to come?" the boy asked, plaintive.

"Even so," said Tamamo. "Although, I've never believed in the idea that humanity as a whole could be so distraught that we wanted to die, exactly. An escape from the pain, maybe. Or a wish for more out of life than the rut we've dug ourselves into. But not death."

Minato tilted his head at her words, contemplative. That _did_ sound more likely. The fear of dying was almost an inherent feeling for most people, as was an aversion to pain. The idea of the Fall being something desired was almost paradoxical to the base of human nature, since the ultimate conclusion was death. But the lead up to the Fall? As Tamamo put it, "mass Apathy Syndrome"? There would hardly be anything to fear after that struck, if only because no one would care or even realize they were dying anymore. "…In other words, we'll fight to save them now so that they can save themselves later."

"It's almost like that quote of the hungry man and the fish," his Other quipped with a grin. The approval in her bicolored eyes made him crack a smile automatically in return, a sliver of pride trickling in. "Give him one and he'll eat for a day, but teach him how to get one himself and he'll do the rest. We might not be able to do that with the whole of humanity in one lifetime, but we can at least give them _more_ time to learn."

"So you will fight… just for that small chance…" Pharos mumbled, his blue, blue eyes fixated on the softly glowing imaginary insects in the jar.

And though part of Minato still felt reluctant to speak as easily with the manifestation of Death as he had before, something told him that something pivotal was occurring. "We will. Even if it scares the hell out of us, we will."

The trio fell into silence, each lost in their own thoughts. But as Pharos pulled off the lid to release the fireflies at Tamamo's quiet instruction, Minato saw a certain awareness in those blue eyes that had not been there before.

When the boy faded from view, his presence retreating back to that eerie door hidden in the shadows of the forest, Minato wondered what it meant.

* * *

The days leading up to the next Full Moon operation were, in a word, hectic.

Not because the members of SEES were running around losing their heads trying to prepare for that while juggling the end of their summer vacation and the start of the new school semester. SEES as a whole was actually rather calm about the whole thing, which Minato attributed to it becoming something of a routine.

No, what made the days hectic to Minato was that Shuji Ikutsuki needed to have his face punched in, Ken Amada needed to _not_ be in SEES, Strega needed better timing, and Tamamo needed to start speaking Japanese again.

" _I am speaking Japanese, though?_ " his Other asked, bewildered. " _…Aren't I?_ "

 _In a manner of speaking, yes,_ Minato replied, _but I just asked if you thought it would be a good idea to invite Ken to the Film Festival and you said something along the lines of vengeance as a plot point being a romanticized notion that should 'die in a fire' and that kids are impressionable and shouldn't be encouraged to go out and avenge an entire clan because they'll be stupid enough to do it and doom the whole world to some eye in the moon._

"… _Oh._ "

 _Is there something you're not telling me about Ken Amada's importance to the Fall?_ he asked mildly.

" _No, no… That's just… a stupid… It's nothing, so what's this about a Film Festival?_ "

 _There's a superhero movie showing today according to Screen Shot's website. It looked like the type Ken liked to see and I was wondering if you thought it'd be a good idea to take him along to see it. Since he gets embarrassed about it and all._

Tamamo hummed. " _I think you should at least ask. I mean, you've been watching_ Phoenix Ranger Featherman _with him on the mornings when you can be bothered to wake up that early, so he knows you won't make fun of him for it._ " She gave the feeling of a shrug. " _It wouldn't hurt to try_."

With barely a thought more, Minato did.

He considered it a success when Ken hesitated for only a few seconds before agreeing, and with a more genuine smile than the usual half-smiles he'd been gracing the dorm with before.

(Minato would never know it, but after they left to catch the showing, Junpei huffed and muttered from his place in the dorm's lounge, "Even _kids_ like him, what the _hell_."

"What's so bad about that?" Yukari asked.

Junpei melodramatically tried to melt into the sofa, arms flinging upwards as he illustrated his point. "His club loves him, the student council depends on him, _an android practically imprints on him_ … And now the sullen kid opens up to him? Can this guy _be_ any more perfect?"

The brunette snorted. "That depends. Do _you_ like him?"

"Well, yeah, but… Hey." He sat up. "Hey, wait a second—Yuka-tan! It's not like that! Ugh!" And he flopped back down, groaning.

She only laughed at his flailing.)

* * *

" _I don't understand. Why do they call him Amoebaman? He's nothing like an amoeba. Is it because his powers has that goo thing that can sorta move on its own and grab things? I don't get it,_ " Tamamo groused as Minato and Ken exited the theater some hours later.

Unlike his Other's griping about details, Ken seemed content with the movie overall. And by "content", Minato meant "starry-eyed enthusiasm". "That was so _cool_! Did you see the part where Amoebaman gets captured? And—and the part where he was in that underground prison, but Morus Signal came to help!"

As much as Minato agreed with Tamamo on some points, it was easier to ride along with Ken's wave of excitement. "Yeah, when they tied him up, I thought the others weren't going to get there in time. That was actually pretty intense."

"I know, right!?" Ken gushed. Then, his eyes widened as he seemed to return back to reality as they left the building, standing out in the open in the middle of Port Island Station. He flushed and shuffled with his hands for a bit before jamming them in the pockets of his shorts. He cleared his throat. "B—But yeah, the movie was pretty good. Even if I know it's all fake."

Very deliberately ignoring the switch in the younger boy's mood, Minato nodded. "That was a good movie to end summer vacation on." He smiled. "Thanks for watching it with me."

The boy blinked up at him, but then returned his smile. It wasn't the bright grin he'd been sporting all of a minute ago, but it was good enough. "Thank you for inviting me along. I had a lot of fun."

Minato opened his mouth to reply when his eye caught something brightly colored in the distance. He glanced at it briefly before returning his attention to Ken only to pause when his mind caught up with what he saw. _Tamamo._

" _I know,_ " she replied softly.

Minato looked again, resting his gaze on a woman with long, straight hair of a brighter red color than Mitsuru's. He saw only the back of her head, but while she and her white dress stuck out in the crowd, what really caught his eye was Junpei, who had a grasp on one of her arms. Even from a distance, he looked worried.

"Minato-san?" Ken called.

He didn't reply immediately, too focused on his friend. Neither he nor the girl seemed to notice his intense staring, thankfully, and the girl eventually moved away, leaving Junpei to stare after her. It was only then that he looked back to Ken, smiling apologetically. "Sorry. Shall we head back?"

Ken, confused, glanced over his shoulder. He blinked in surprise. "Oh, isn't that Junpei-san?"

"Yeah," Minato confirmed, eyes drifting to where the red-haired girl disappeared to. "I thought about calling out to him, but he seemed busy."

After a moment, Ken nodded and faced forward again as they left the station, apparently content to leave things at that. Minato only looked once more in Junpei's direction before following.

* * *

That night, with the proof that Junpei had indeed met the elusive Chidori of Strega, Minato found himself asking, _Which do you think is the most likely scenario to come around?_

At first glance, he had doubted the ability of such a slight young woman being able to overpower someone like Junpei. She seemed so frail-looking in her white dress, even from afar. Junpei wasn't the biggest guy around, but for her to take him down without a Persona… Well, he couldn't help but feel skeptical, as sexist as it sounded. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized how unfair that was. After all, nobody would be expecting high school students (and an elementary student now) to be successfully fighting off monsters like the Shadows, but there they were.

All it took was the right weakness and the right opening.

With that in mind, Tamamo's concerns about whether Strega would attempt to kidnap Junpei or himself (or any SEES member, really) became a lot more valid. Depending on how much effort Strega chose to expend, all of their members had weak points in their schedules that had them completely open and vulnerable. It was paranoia fuel at its finest.

" _I really want to say that she'll go and kidnap Junpei anyway, as bad as that sounds, since she knows his face and can manipulate him. She's likely only seen yours and the others' from a distance in comparison, when Jin and Takaya stopped you guys before._ " She sighed. " _But with those two calling the shots, they'd definitely target you if they could, simply by virtue of you being the squad leader for field missions. All that and considering your tendency for poor luck during these operations? I'd say it's something like a 60-40 in your favor. Or not-favor, as it were._ "

He snorted. _Perfect_.

" _As terrible as it sounds, I really,_ really _hope it's Junpei that's taken that night._ "

* * *

Returning to school for the second semester was… well.

When the first conversation he heard before even strolling through the gate was a girl considering trying to "come down with Apathy Syndrome" just to get out of caring about class and wanting to laze around in bed, Minato thought he could be forgiven for his plummeting mood. It was at that moment that he also felt he understood Junpei's point more about their escapades during the Dark Hour going unnoticed, albeit from a different perspective.

To the rest of the world, Apathy Syndrome was a strange disease that struck and lifted seemingly at random. Perhaps some scientists and doctors realized the pattern concerning the lunar cycle, but without knowledge of the Dark Hour, any further reasoning and attempts to discern a cause and a cure would fail. People like the students at Gekkoukan High could joke about it so lightly because they had no idea about the larger plot it all tied into.

They had no idea that he and his friends and classmates were risking their lives at least once a month just so the rest of the populace could continue living on, blissfully unaware of the very real consequences that would occur should SEES fail.

Even so, when the girl said that Apathy Syndrome didn't "sound too bad", as if she wasn't _trivializing all their efforts to combat it_ , it took a _lot_ of willpower not to march over and try to make her understand exactly what Apathy Syndrome victims went through. Exactly how much pain and _fear_ he and his friends endured to keep the numbers of those people from rising higher.

It was just an insensitive comment, he knew. But now that things were so very personal, now that he knew his _life_ was very literally _on the line_ , he couldn't help the flash of anger that lanced through him as a result.

It was only the feeling of Tamamo's presence that kept him steady, helping him break down that anger until he could compartmentalize it and stow it away for a better time to vent than at an innocent, if ignorant, girl's face.

He took a deep breath, held it, and soldiered on through the gates.

* * *

Coming back to the dorm to find out that Aigis was apparently going to be attending class with them at Gekkoukan was at once both unexpected and yet completely predictable.

Really.

After everything that had happened thus far, Minato barely batted an eye when Aigis strolled in to the dorm lounge wearing her new uniform. She looked cute, certainly, and he appreciated looking as any boy would (or anyone else, as Tamamo certainly liked it), but he felt almost cheated in how unsurprised he was at the development.

 _Now, Koromaru,_ he thought, watching as the android translated the dog's laments that he couldn't attend class with them as well. _Koromaru, I would've been surprised about._

" _Koromaru's smart, but I don't think even the Kirijo Group could've pulled off successfully enrolling him,_ " was Tamamo's amused reply.

 _But you don't deny that it would've been more surprising than the robot girl,_ Minato shot back.

His Other was quiet for a moment. Eventually, she conceded, " _Had it happened even_ back then _, yes, I would have been very surprised._ "

* * *

The following day, after a handful of lively classes that involved Aigis demonstrating her strange directive of trying to stick to his side like glue, Minato received a text message from Akihiko requesting his presence. After successfully shooing off his friends back to the dorm by waving it off as what he assumed was SEES business, he made his way to the front gates where the gray-haired upperclassman was already waiting.

"What's going on?" Minato asked in lieu of a greeting. At first glance, the senior looked normal, his blazer thrown over his shoulder as usual and a bag in his free hand. But, as Minato looked closer, the bag was not the usual book bag but rather a sleek, black briefcase. It looked eerily familiar.

Akihiko began walking, taking the lead. He had a pensive look on his face. When he spoke, his tone was strangely distant, "We're going to get someone… An old member."

It wasn't much, but it was enough for Minato to infer the rest on his own. Sure enough, as they both wound their way through the city, Akihiko pulled them up to a familiar ramen shop at the strip mall. Just in time, apparently, as one Shinjiro Aragaki stepped out just as they got within range of the doorway.

The other upperclassman took one look at Akihiko and gave a glare that could probably rival Mitsuru's. "Aki."

Akihiko nodded in greeting, as if he couldn't feel the tension building. "Shinji."

Shinjiro said nothing at first, his gray eyes sliding to the doorway behind him. Clicking his tongue, he moved out of the way, looking mildly annoyed when Akihiko followed. "Look, if you're just gonna bring up the same thing, don't bother."

"I'm sorry, but this time, I'm not asking," Akihiko replied. He held out the briefcase. "The situation's changed. We have a new enemy; they're Persona-users, like us."

"So what?" The other upperclassman looked highly unimpressed. He made to leave.

Minato, from where he'd been watching the exchange some ways behind Akihiko, watched as the boxer took a deep breath through his nose and firm his stance. "There's more. Ken Amada… has joined our team."

 _That_ got Shinjiro's attention.

"What!?" he demanded, whirling around. "What the hell are you talking about!?"

"He has the potential," Akihiko said, tone even as if trying to placate him. "Ikutsuki-san has okayed it. He's a Persona-user."

"You've gotta be kidding me," Shinjiro muttered.

There was a long silence as the beanie-wearing senior seemed to focus on simply breathing. Akihiko made no move to break that silence and so Minato, though he knew and understood the situation far more than they thought he did, kept quiet as well. It wasn't so much that he didn't want to speak or that he didn't know what to say, but he knew it was something important. To both Akihiko and Shinjiro, but especially Shinjiro.

It was something that outsiders simply shouldn't interrupt.

"…Was it his decision to join SEES?" Shinjiro asked eventually.

Akihiko nodded. "He volunteered."

"I see…" A sigh. "Then count me in."

He moved in to take the briefcase from Akihiko, his shoulders dropping as though he was taking on a great burden. Then, his gaze lifted to where Minato stood.

"So you're the one leading the operations now, huh? Glad you don't look half-dead anymore, then."

Minato ducked his head, feeling strangely sheepish. "Thanks. Again."

"Whatever." Shinjiro shrugged before rolling his eyes at Akihiko's questioning look. Keeping a tight grip on the briefcase, he started walking, calling over his shoulder, "Is my room still vacant?"

Akihiko confirmed that it was, following after his friend, while Minato trailed behind them. It was a successful recruitment (or re-recruitment), it seemed. They had one more person to contribute to their cause, so in some ways it was a victory.

In others, though, it just compounded how everything was now flowing together, as Tamamo forewarned. With all of the events about to happen so quickly and in quick succession of one another, even with her foresight of another timeline… would it be enough?

 _It has to be_ , he thought.

" _It has to be,_ " Tamamo agreed quietly.


	33. The Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : I have to admit, I was surprised to see that some of my older readers stuck around! It was a while between the last update and the one before it, and I apologize for that and making some of you think this wouldn't be updating again. Still, a hearty thank you to my older readers for sticking around and a warm welcome to my newer readers. Much love and appreciation to all, even if I don't have the time to reply to your reviews and messages much individually anymore.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Three  
**

* * *

"Morning, Fuuka."

"Ah, Minato-kun. Good morning," Fuuka greeted as she walked through the school gates. "There's a full moon tonight. Are you ready?"

"As much as I can be," Minato replied. He cast a look over his shoulder for any eavesdroppers. "There's actually something I wanted to talk to you about tonight."

The teal-haired navigator inclined her head, looking worried but unsurprised, and she obligingly ducked her head closer. "Tamamo-chan mentioned something about it last night. You and Junpei-kun might be in danger?"

The previous night, SEES had gone out for a last minute trip to Tartarus on account of their newest addition to the roster. Minato had explained it would be a light run through to get a feel for the senior's battle style so he knew what to expect during an encounter and how to plan as necessary. The others agreed easily enough and, while he did do the run as he requested, it was also a cover for Tamamo to speak with Fuuka about the operation and Strega's possible interference with it. They didn't have a lot of time to speak, as both girls had to multitask with their usual duties and Minato didn't want to keep SEES out long with the operation the next day, but Tamamo had assured him that she'd gotten the important bits across.

"Something like that," he murmured. "There's no concrete proof of it, but we saw him with the female member of Strega a few days ago… Tamamo thinks it's likely that she'll try to target either him or me."

"Yes, she mentioned a hostage situation. That either of you wouldn't be harmed, but…" Fuuka frowned, eyebrows furrowed. "It's concerning, since there's no guarantee it'll be the same as how she saw it."

Minato blinked, and it was at that moment that he realized Fuuka's depth of knowledge on Tamamo. He knew that they chatted while SEES was in Tartarus, and that Fuuka had been given information by Tamamo before regarding "future events", but… "I'm surprised you're not more skeptical about Tamamo's 'visions'."

"Hm?" Fuuka looked up, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I don't think I've ever questioned it at the time because there were more pressing matters, but you've never really had trouble accepting things that Tamamo tells you, have you? Like when we were searching for Aigis in Yakushima, or even as far back as the Arcana Lovers fight…"

"O—Oh, well…" She bit her lip. "I guess it seems like it would be kind of silly, but… I—I mean, there's all sorts of things that the Dark Hour has opened up my eyes to and all… and Tamamo-chan is a mysterious existence, too." After a moment of thought, she shrugged. "I guess I just thought that since I know she's there and that she's certainly real… Well, her knowledge about some future events isn't all that strange in comparison."

"Huh." From that perspective, Minato supposed it _would_ seem senseless to reject something for seeming outlandish, as everything else was already at that state. "If there's anyone that would understand what it means to see things beyond what most people can see, it would be you, then."

Fuuka smiled. "Something like that."

Nodding, Minato sighed, already eagerly awaiting the end of the day. "All right. I'm going to try to keep an eye on Junpei after school, but just in case… keep tabs on us once you get back to the dorm?"

SEES's navigator nodded firmly. "I will. Just take care of yourselves, all right, Minato-kun?"

He gave a wry smile. "We'll do our best."

* * *

Junpei was humming.

That in and of itself wasn't strictly unusual, as the baseball cap-wearing teen tended to hum or whistle the latest top of the charts at random. Whenever Minato had caught him at it, the other boy was usually distracted by something else, and so the humming was more of an involuntary act.

It was certainly an involuntary act now, but it was the _nature_ of the humming that caught Minato's attention.

"Having a good day?" Minato asked mildly during break.

"Huh?" Junpei's expression was caught between surprise and the traces of a grin—one that he'd been wearing all throughout the morning classes that only widened at the end, when he started his humming. "Oh, uh, not really. I just have something to do later."

Yukari twisted in her chair, one thin eyebrow lifted. "You mean the _operation_?"

"Nope!" Junpei replied, and his easy grin was back. "Something before that."

Scowling (but not the scathing type she used to send them in the early days, Minato noted pleasantly), Yukari leaned over in his direction. "You'd better not bail on us, Stupei!"

"I wouldn't!" he yelped, offended. "Geez, nice to know how much faith you've got in me, Yuka-tan…"

"Yeah, yeah." The archer waved a hand dismissively. "I just want to make sure you pull your own weight."

"I pull my weight just fine, thank you very much!"

Minato left them to their bickering, but tucked away the knowledge of Junpei's plans. Technically, as the squad leader he supposed he could at least advise the other boy to focus more on their mission than other things. But he still didn't feel quite so comfortable ordering them around outside of battle situations or, as an extension, Tartarus. Even during the operations themselves he was content to let Mitsuru lead until the encounter with the Shadow itself came up.

Still, while he wouldn't outright tell the other boy to get his head in the game as his leader, he could at least watch his back as his friend.

" _Don't forget to watch your own back,_ " Tamamo warned. " _If he mentioned you in any way, even indirectly, you'll have just as large a target fixed on you._ "

He sighed. _The Dark Hour's hours away and this operation is already a pain in the neck_.

" _Tell me about it._ "

* * *

School flew by without an incident and as the last bell rang and Ms. Toriumi dismissed them, Minato slowly gathered his things, allowing Junpei the time to quickly pack up his own and all but fly through the doorway.

Yukari huffed. "There he goes. Can you believe him?"

"Yes," Minato replied, absently checking where his Evoker was stored in his bag's inner compartment. When Yukari glanced at him, he tilted his head. "Out of all of us, Junpei's probably the most… normal? In comparison to the rest of the dorm. It makes sense… that he would be able to handle today like any other day."

The brunette eyed him, lips pursed. "I can't tell if you're agreeing with him or with me."

"Neither," Minato clarified. His lips quirked into a smile when she glared. "I don't begrudge him this, that's all."

Yukari made a complicated sound in the back of her throat, returning to packing her belongings. "I guess…"

An idea sparked into mind as Minato drew his bag up, ready to leave. "If it makes you feel better, then I can keep an eye on him? Make sure he isn't late."

"You'd _spy_ on him?" The archer raised a brow.

"If that's what it takes," he said, shrugging one shoulder unapologetically. "You and Aigis can head back with Fuuka. We'll just meet you all later."

He hoped.

It probably said something about them that they were so willing to violate their teammate's privacy like this when Yukari only briefly hesitated before nodding. "I mean, if it's nothing _bad_ then it doesn't really matter, but…"

"See you later, Yukari."

"Yeah, sure…?"

Minato left before she could change her mind and try to persuade him to just head back to the dorm as well. Call him an opportunist, but she had inadvertently given him a convenient-enough excuse to do what he'd planned that he couldn't just let it slip by.

" _Look at you, being a little snake,_ " Tamamo cooed as he made his way off the campus. She sounded so proud that he nearly laughed.

 _With you in my head, how could I not be?_

His Other laughed. " _Oh, Minato. Flattery will get you everywhere._ "

* * *

Staying out of sight at the Port Island Station was harder in practice than it seemed, especially as Minato was still in his uniform and so stuck out amongst the crowd at first. Thankfully, as more students wandered away from school to their usual hangouts, the cinema saw more of them congregating until he could feasibly hang around nearby, using them as camouflage. Thankfully, Junpei was situated on a bench at an angle that the cinema wasn't in sight unless he craned his neck and body to see it, so Minato didn't have to do much more to stay hidden.

Furthermore, Junpei was fairly distracted, scanning the crowds but clearly not seeing anyone that didn't fit Chidori's image.

Feeling a twinge of pity for his friend, knowing how this would likely end, Minato settled down for a long wait.

* * *

He marked the time in intervals—every fifteen minutes.

After the half-hour mark, he'd pulled out a book he'd brought in anticipation of the wait, but he'd only paged through it absentmindedly while keeping watch on Junpei in the corner of his eyes.

After an hour, he wondered at Junpei's dedication to some girl he'd just barely met. A glance told him that Junpei was bouncing his leg, looking anxiously about the station, but the other boy made no move to leave.

" _He's worried,_ " Tamamo murmured.

 _About Chidori?_

She hummed. " _I think we saw it when we saw them here last time, but Chidori… She harms herself. And she leaves the wounds alone because her Persona, Medea, heals it eventually. Junpei saw it and… it worried him. Because she didn't understand why it was such a big deal to most people. To him._ "

 _Oh_. Considering Junpei's strange duality of pervert versus gentleman… Yeah, Minato could see why he would wait as long as possible for the girl now. _Okay_.

* * *

Chidori never showed.

It was mid-evening by the time Junpei seemed to accept this, dragging himself up off the bench. Minato, who had relocated himself to a bench on the far opposite side of the station, closed his book as his friend trudged his way out. After stowing his book away, Minato quickly made his way out of the station after him.

It was a hassle, but he still had to make sure the other boy got back to the dorm. It would take careful maneuvering to keep out of sight while tailing him—and then, later, to loop his way around him to make it seem like he was waiting near the dorm—but, thankfully, Junpei was still distracted enough that it would be a slightly easier task.

" _Home stretch. Keep your eyes peeled_ ," Tamamo muttered, sounding as tense as he felt. " _I swear, today has just been ridiculous. I think I actually feel exhausted._ "

He empathized completely.

Hurrying on, Minato did as told and made sure to look down each road his friend took. When people started to become scarce on the streets, making their own ways home, he looped around and started scouting ahead. With the senses honed from exploring Tartarus, every noise became a possible enemy and he rounded corners ready to meet anything, skirting around alleyway entrances on light feet prepared to dodge should something jump out at him. On one particularly empty street, he discreetly transferred his Evoker from his bag to its holster hidden beneath his blazer.

It was only when he made it to the dorm's street that he forced himself to relax, if only physically, standing a ways down the street to wait for Junpei to turn the corner.

In hindsight, it would probably be hilarious just how close he was to the dorm.

But when the sound of glass shattering echoed from further down the street, making him whirl around expecting the worst, he could only think of the irony that he had gotten so far only to leave his back open in the end.

He saw the remnants of a glass bottle scattered on the sidewalk just as his instincts blared for him to turn the other way. There was a light tap of rushing footsteps and he reached for his Evoker, ignoring the litany of swears his Other let loose at the blur of white and red that entered his vision. Chidori's apathetic gaze met his for a fleeting moment, just as something heavy connected with his head and—

* * *

Tamamo gaped as Minato's vision went black and his mind shut down in unconsciousness.

She didn't know how long she stood there, shocked into stillness after the frenzy she had gotten into the moment she and Minato heard the glass breaking. So many thoughts whirled around in her mind— _did she really just throw a damn bottle; holy crap, it_ actually _happened; stupid Chidori and her sensing/masking ability; it_ happened _; stupid Junpei for not being freaking_ faster _at walking and moping at the same time; it_ fucking HAPPENED!?—that there may as well have been none at all.

Eventually, she regained enough sense of self to scramble for Minato's Social Links, tugging at Fuuka's that she knew by heart while praying that the navigator was listening. "Fuuuukaaaa! Minato's luck is the absolute _worst_!"

* * *

Something was wrong.

"Geez," Yukari-chan's mutter floated up to where Fuuka stood at the door to the command room, which she had cracked open just slightly when she heard the brunette climbing the stairs. Careful listening told Fuuka that the archer was completing circuits around the small lounge of the girls' floor. "It's getting late. Where _are_ they?"

Something was _very_ wrong.

Fuuka took a calming breath, closing the door and retreating further into the command room. Lifting her Evoker, she summoned Lucia and let the immediate world fall back into the background as she synchronized her thoughts with her Persona. The dorm melted away as her Persona's ability lifted her beyond, throwing her consciousness in all directions. Port Island and even Iwatodai City itself became her and she became them, and as she opened her eyes, she began flitting through the streets in the space of a second, searching.

"Where are you?" she wondered quietly aloud, her worry causing her to jump faster through the roads. The feel of the wisps of each person she passed on the way blurred, discarded the moment she determined they weren't the friends she was looking for. "Junpei-kun… Minato-kun…"

She felt the familiar touch that was Lucia, ever guiding and anchoring her through the process. Now, her Persona's presence enveloped her mind like a cloak, consoling her without words.

Smiling, Fuuka breathed in and out once more, letting her shoulders relax minutely. "Thank you, Lucia."

Her Persona did not reply, but instead pulled Fuuka's attention to Port Island Station—both boys' last known location. Fuuka had been monitoring them while they were there, as she'd told Minato-kun she would. For a long time, they had not moved, even after she took a short break. Not long ago, Junpei-kun had finally moved, slowly moving out of the station, with Minato-kun following soon after. She had been relieved, watching them make their way home. Especially as Yukari-chan had relocated and began her circuits on the floor below to spend her pent-up energy. Even Aigis had seemed to wander around as restlessly as an android could, and Fuuka had looked forward to reassuring them that both boys would be returning shortly.

But then, just as Minato-kun had seemed to pull ahead of Junpei-kun, both of their presences flickered.

Fuuka had barely noticed it at first. But it happened again. And again.

Then, they had disappeared from her sight completely.

Her worry had spiked, so sharply that it caused her to return to herself in the dorm accidentally. Worried that the others had noticed it, she went to the door to see if Yukari-chan or Aigis noticed, only to find them unchanged from their earlier positions. It was only her Persona's anchoring presence that allowed her to rein it in now and try again.

From Port Island Station, she followed the route they had taken just before they disappeared and went from there, searching for their presences. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find them.

Or so she believed until Junpei-kun suddenly reappeared, his presence returning just outside the dorm.

After a frantic quick scan of the surrounding area and finding no Minato-kun, Fuuka dismissed Lucia just as Junpei-kun neared the dorm's entrance and went to the command room door. After hearing the entrance open on the first floor, she was right behind Yukari-chan as they descended the stairs, hoping beyond all hope that, even though she could only sense Junpei-kun, that Minato-kun was somehow with him as well.

Her heart sank when he walked in alone.

"Take your time much, Stupei?" Yukari-chan's voice sarcastically drawled when she reached the bottom of the stairs. A moment later, she straightened in confusion. "Wait… Where's Minato-kun?"

"Why're you asking me?" Junpei-kun asked, looking similarly confused. "Did ya check his room? He usually heads back early on days like this, doesn't he?"

"He's not there," Yukari-chan replied immediately. "Because he said he would… He said he was going to get you and make sure you got back on time."

Fuuka found her eyes drawn to the others in the lounge. Their three senpai and Ken-kun were watching the exchange avidly. Mitsuru-senpai in particular was frowning. On the opposite side, Ken-kun looked as worried as Yukari-chan, shifting his gaze between all of them.

Junpei-kun frowned, and he cast a glance over his shoulder as if he thought doing so would cause Minato-kun to magically appear in the doorway. "I didn't see him at all… You sure he said that? I mean, I could go check…"

"There's still a lot of time before midnight," Akihiko-senpai pointed out reasonably from the sofa. "He might've gone to go restock on supplies or gear or something."

Both Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun seemed to deflate at that.

"Maybe…" Yukari-chan muttered. She sounded both annoyed and concerned in a way that only she could pull off.

Fuuka quietly turned around to return up the stairs. She paused when she saw Aigis standing a few steps above her, head tilted and doll-like face innocently blank as she observed the tension on the ground floor.

Ducking her head, Fuuka went around her to head back to the command room, Evoker in hand, thoughts whirling. If she could find Minato-kun, that would be fine. But if she couldn't… would she be able to convince the others that something else was afoot?

 _Minato-kun, Tamamo-chan… where are you?_

* * *

The Dark Hour was drawing near and Minato-kun had yet to resurface in any way.

Fuuka searched and searched, with encouragement and inquiries from her fellow SEES members from time to time, but to no avail. It was quite literally as though Minato-kun had simply blinked out of existence—or up and left the city entirely.

Even trying to contact Tamamo-chan proved fruitless, as whatever connection Fuuka usually had with her was similarly quiet. Not vanished—if Fuuka concentrated with Lucia's help, she could make out the vague mental connection that usually pinged whenever the spirit was in contact with her. But there was no movement from it now, which, given the circumstances, had Fuuka entirely certain that the foul play she and Minato-kun warned her about had, indeed, happened.

"This is unlike him," Yukari-chan muttered when the team gathered in the command room to hear Fuuka's report. The archer looked more worried than annoyed now. "I mean, he's a bit lazy, sure, but he's never really slacked off before…"

Junpei nodded in agreement, eyebrows furrowed beneath the rim of his cap. "The crazy guy goes to school when he's sick as a dog. He wouldn't ditch us like this." There was a whine off to the side and he winced. "Sorry, Koromaru. You know what I mean!"

"You're certain you can't sense him anywhere, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru-senpai asked after a moment.

Fuuka nodded slowly. "He's nowhere within my current range, as far as I can tell…" She fidgeted, fingers picking nervously at the hem of her skirt. How could she tell them, even if not in so many words, that there was something wrong? "I—I agree with Yukari-chan and Junpei-kun, though. Minato-kun wouldn't… he wouldn't just vanish like this. Not without telling us."

She bit her lip when the three seniors looked her way, each looking varying degrees of considering and calculating. Her heart pounded under their scrutiny and she briefly wondered if Minato-kun ever felt this way, wondering if they were picking at his thoughts and everything Tamamo-chan mentioned to him. She only relaxed when they drew their gazes away.

"I'll go and check some of his usual haunts," Akihiko-senpai said as he stood from the couch.

"Akihiko…" Mitsuru-senpai began, but the boxer held up a hand.

"I won't take long," he assured her. "Just a quick run. I'll definitely be back before midnight."

Mitsuru-senpai pursed her lips briefly, and there was a pause as she seemed to turn their choices over in her head. Eventually, she nodded.

Just as Akihiko was about to leave, however, Fuuka forced herself to take a step forward. "Wait!" Her exclamation drew the eyes of everyone in the room once more. She quailed slightly under the weight of their attention, but then drew up her courage and forged on. "I don't think—Maybe you shouldn't go alone."

"Fuuka?" Yukari-chan murmured at the same time Mitsuru-senpai uttered, "Yamagishi?"

Surprisingly, it was Ken-kun that jolted, realization dawning in his dark eyes. "Fuuka-san… do you think that Strega might have something to do with this?"

That statement seemed to catch everyone's attention. And alarm.

"I…" Fuuka faltered, mind scrambling for an excuse that didn't make it sound like she was simply reaching. But, the more she thought about it, the more she found that it could make sense. Before she could lose her nerve, she nodded. "Y—Yes. When we first met them, they—Takaya and Jin—were… shrouded. Their presences were hidden to me and I didn't sense them at all before they intercepted us. It's… I just thought it might be possible that they could somehow hide others as well."

Her words hung ominously in the air as the rest of SEES took in this new perspective.

Finally, Mitsuru-senpai drew herself up in a familiar commanding stance. "All right. Akihiko, take Iori with you, as well as communicators along with your cell phones. Do not split up by any means and always keep one another in sight."

Akihiko-senpai nodded and went over to retrieve a pair of communicators while Junpei-kun hopped up, expression grim. Both fastened the communicators on before leaving.

"…What will we do if they can't find Minato-san?" Ken-kun asked the room quietly. "The operation…"

"The operation will have to proceed as planned," Mitsuru-senpai said. When Yukari-chan bristled, mouth opening no doubt in protest, the upperclassman tipped her head forward almost apologetically. "We cannot let any of these Shadows a chance to get loose or survive beyond their night, as there's no telling the type of chaos Shadows of their power can produce. We'll try to find Arisato before then, but the most immediate threat _must_ be neutralized."

It was a difficult decision. Fuuka knew this, could read this, by the hard set Mitsuru-senpai's shoulders took. But even though she knew she was right, and that Minato-kun was, hopefully, unlikely to be harmed… she still worried.

Retreating to the command room corner once more, Fuuka summoned Lucia for the umpteenth time that day, now tracking Akihiko-senpai and Junpei-kun's movements as she searched for Minato-kun and Tamamo-chan.

* * *

His head was throbbing.

"… _!_ "

Even with his eyes closed, Minato felt nauseous. A swirling feeling in his stomach moved in time with the throbbing of his head, ebbing like the push and pull of a tide.

"— _to!_ "

Was this what it was like to be hungover? If that was the case, then there was no way he was going to drink. Ever. He liked his innards where they belonged, thank you very much. Inside, unlike where they seemed to want to go.

God, what did he do, anyway? Did he insult Tamamo and she decided to give him the migraine from hell in revenge?

" _I heard that!_ "

 _Wha—_

Minato groaned when his headache seemed to double in intensity. Even _thinking_ hurt…!

" _At least you're somewhat awake now,_ " Tamamo murmured, thankfully quietly, though she sounded harried. " _I don't think I can actually do something like that, by the way._ "

He wanted to laugh, or anything, to respond, but he was busy trying to keep his breathing deep and steady. It seemed to help with the throbbing emanating from the back of his head.

His Other made a comforting sound and there was some shifting on her part before a soothing sensation ran over the source of the pain, trickling like water.

He breathed a sigh of relief when the throbbing subsided. It was still there, but much more bearable than before. _Thank you_.

" _Of course_ ," Tamamo replied, so primly that it made him crack a grin in spite of himself and his latest situation. " _Now, I know you have the 'migraine from hell' and all, but do you think you can open your eyes a bit? I'd like to know where we are. And how much time has passed._ "

Minato took another deep breath, bracing himself, and cracked open one eye. His eyesight was blurry. But his surroundings were distinctly green-tinged.

 _Dammit_ , he thought, closing his eye again.

" _Alleyway,_ " Tamamo muttered. " _I'm assuming she's kept you near the dorm, blanketing your presence with Medea. The Dark Hour must have just started if you're still out here and she hasn't moved you_."

Deep breath. _Fuuka?_

" _I've been trying, but it seems like Medea's barrier might be thicker than I thought…_ " He felt her frown. " _It doesn't help that we've never come across a Persona-user with a similar support type as Chidori. Mitsuru's actually the closest, given that both Penthesilea and Medea seem more combat-oriented with support skills rather than Lucia's primary support, but Penthesilea and Medea are very different classifications from one another._ "

 _I'm going to be very honest,_ said Minato with difficulty, _and tell you I didn't understand much of that._

" _You might have a concussion so I don't expect you to,_ " Tamamo replied. " _I'm mostly talking to myself anyway. But in simple terms… if you compare Lucia and Penthesilea to a sort of radar system mixed with a radio frequency, Medea's ability is more like a cloaking device combined with a radio jammer. Both ways, apparently, since I can't seem to reach Fuuka either._ "

He didn't reply, returning his attention to keeping his breathing even and, hopefully, staying conscious.

" _Hang in there,_ " she whispered, worried, and he could feel the same soothing warmth pulsing through his head. If he'd had the mental capacity to think about more than not moving and aggravating his condition, he would have wondered when his Other started learning to heal. " _We'll get you through this and back to the others, Minato, don't worry._ "

* * *

He must have failed in his efforts to stay conscious, as the next thing Minato knew, he was knocked painfully awake when his body hit the floor. He automatically tried to catch himself only for his arms to protest, jerking painfully and uselessly against the ropes that bound them behind his back.

The pain, at least, helped him wake up.

"You're quite troublesome," said a voice, and it took Minato a moment to crane his neck to see Chidori standing in front of a closed door. A quick glance around told him they were outside—the dorm roof, specifically. "I was nearly unable to capture you, but then you fell for that trick so easily. To be honest, I can't tell whether you're smart or oblivious."

Which, yeah, okay, Minato conceded he had probably been a bit too wound up if he actually believed a Persona would be summoned on the street in the evening, no matter how deserted it was. Especially considering how Chidori seemed to prefer working in the background despite how her Persona's abilities were apparently more suited to combat than full support.

Still, he refused to respond aloud, instead fixing her with his best level stare.

Chidori returned it coolly, abandoning her post by the door to take several steps forward. Minato watched her, trying to shift his legs as subtly as possible so he could roll himself out of danger if necessary. His arms may have been bound, but like _hell_ he was going to just take things like a good hostage.

In the back of his mind, Tamamo bristled. " _If she takes_ one _step closer…_ "

Fortunately (or unfortunately), she didn't, stopping several feet away from where Minato lay. She was in a better position to look down on Minato, however. Coupled with her very white gothic lolita dress and assorted accessories, it helped to add a creepy sort of intimidation factor to the frail-looking girl.

"Listen to me very closely." Her strange monotone didn't help things much either. "If you do as I say, you won't be harmed." The red-haired girl tilted her head to the side. For a moment, Minato thought she would move forward again and, from her growing restlessness, Tamamo apparently thought so, too. "Give the order to your friends… to call off the mission. Not just the one tonight, but all of them. Easy, right?"

"I don't…" Minato began, his voice croaking. He cleared his throat, shifting his body to try and make his position even slightly more comfortable. "Don't have a communicator."

Chidori eyed him and, though he would never admit it aloud, her emptiness was unnerving. She was like a doll. There, but so very much _not_. "That's not quite true, is it? I could sense you trying to contact someone earlier."

He tensed, dread creeping quickly up his spine. His Other gave a low curse. _Tamamo…_

"Quit wasting time."

" _I should have expected that. Penthesilea couldn't, but that was no reason to just assume Medea wouldn't be able to either,_ " Tamamo noted grimly. " _Dammit…_ "

Minato stayed quiet, thinking quickly. If Chidori could feel Tamamo, but didn't realize that Medea was blocking her, too, then it meant that Medea had a more general block than a specific one—and one that Chidori herself didn't realize was two-way, no less. Otherwise she would've known to remove it from around him already to get his order through. If that were true, if Medea's influence was more like a blanket than individual shields, then… _Hey, you said that Medea's sort of like a radio jammer, right?_

" _Sort of… Why?_ "

"Well?" Chidori asked. "I don't think you'll like what I'll do if you refuse, you know."

"Not going to just kill me and be done with it?" Minato asked wryly even as his heart pounded. "That must be more Takaya and Jin's thing, then, while you hide them."

There was a spike of alarm from his Other. " _Minato?_ "

 _If we can distract her enough, can we interrupt Medea from hiding us?_

Chidori's eyes narrowed. She reached for something behind her back. "Stubborn, aren't you?"

The wonderful thing about sharing mind space was probably the fact that Minato never really had to explain himself fully unless he wanted to. He was never more grateful for that fact than right now, when they were pressed for time.

" _It's a big risk, Minato,_ " Tamamo warned. " _I healed some of the pain away, but you still had a physical head injury. Not to mention the fact that you're tied up and pretty much alone right now._ "

 _Not alone_ , he reminded her. _Never alone. You've got my back, right?_

His Other was quiet. Then, a stunning warmth. " _…Always._ "

"When I want to be," Minato said to Chidori. Then, looking into her eyes, he dared her, "Do your worst."

"Hmph." There was a flash of an Evoker under the full moon light. Chidori leveled it at her forehead. "You'll regret that. It was such an easy order to give, too."

She pulled the trigger before Minato could reply and her Persona, Medea, materialized. The tall, long-limbed figure of black and red shot forward with purpose, a wicked-looking knife in hand. The Persona drew its arm back, ready to stab—

Only to clash with Orpheus's harp, the silver figure appearing in a flurry of particles of light.

Using the distraction his Persona provided him, Minato scrambled to his feet, though he kept himself facing Chidori as soon as he was able. The blood rushed to his head at the quick movement, but he forced himself to keep his expression calm.

"Interesting," Chidori said as Medea backed away.

* * *

 **EXTRA**

* * *

She was back again.

Junpei made his way over casually, trying not to rush and seem too eager or let (much of) his worry show on his face. When he neared the red-haired girl, he pasted on a friendly grin. "Yo, Chidori. How's your hand?"

She glanced up at him, brown eyes fathomless. For a moment, he thought she would refuse. But then, slowly, she held out her arm, sleeve falling back to show pale, but unmarred, skin.

Junpei stared. He couldn't help it. He'd seen her just the other day, and the wound was fresh then. Still bleeding. He'd wrapped it up as best he could, but that was still too quick. Wasn't it? "I don't see anything," he mumbled aloud, feeling lost. He knew he hadn't imagined it, but… "Not even a scar. Did it heal that quickly?"

Chidori said nothing, simply retracting her hand and returning to her sketchbook. After a while, she looked up again. "Hey, Junpei… What do you do to make yourself feel alive?"

"Uh…" What did he do to make himself feel alive? Was that a trick question? "I dunno. Breathing, I guess?" He tried to laugh, but it came out weakly when she only blinked at him. "I never thought about it before, really." Then, because she brought it up, he couldn't help but ask, "How about you, Chidori? Is that why you draw?"

She made a humming sound, looking down at the page she was working on. "Maybe. But most of these are just scribbles…" She tilted her head. "I don't understand myself very well."

"I see." And he really did. He wondered briefly if anyone really understood themselves. "Mind if I sit here?" She gave quiet permission and he took a seat, leaning back. He stared at the familiar scene of the station, passersby always coming and going, as he mulled over her question.

If he was being honest with himself, he didn't really… do much. He went to school, yeah, because he had to. He hung out with friends, but that wasn't something that made him feel really _alive_. Baseball was a hobby, but even that waned. Really, the only thing that got his blood pumping these days was…

"To tell you the truth," he began slowly, "there is one thing that makes me feel alive." He waited until she looked at him to continue, smiling as he recalled his earlier conversation with Minato. "When I get to play hero." Then, before she could even ask, he cleared his throat, standing and flourishing his arm in a grand gesture. "In the darkest hour, unknown to all but a few, the chosen ones stand against the forces of evil! Our hero, Junpei, fights to protect the world from these terrifying monsters!"

Some people looked over at his, as Minato proclaimed it, "anime announcer" voice, but Junpei ignored them easily. He glanced over his shoulder to see Chidori's reaction and found her blinking, nonplussed, at him. He gave his cheesiest grin. "And you get the idea. That's when I feel most alive!"

Chidori didn't respond, still staring.

He shifted, feeling self-conscious. "Uh… You're supposed to laugh." Even Minato laughed when he pulled that voice out. Well, snorted, which was his way of laughing uproariously. Junpei knew that much.

"So… you fight all alone?" Chidori ventured.

Thrown, Junpei stammered, "I was just… kidding around…"

But Chidori continued as if she hadn't heard him, "You fight during a time that no one knows about, right? So then, no one knows what you've been doing, either. That means you'll never receive any recognition…" She tilted her head slightly, a glimmer of _something_ in her eyes. "I'm impressed. I didn't know you were that kind of guy."

It was his turn to blink at her, surprised. "You actually believe me?"

Chidori nodded, leaning forward. "Tell me more."

Yuka-tan would kill him if he actually said anything. He had a wild imagination. He could make something up instead, couldn't he?

…But still… what could it hurt?

And so he told her. About Personas. Their ability to fight monsters, the Shadows. Those with the potential, the "chosen ones", who did the fighting. That his friends were such people, and him alongside them.

Chidori didn't quite smile, but she was listening intently. It was more of a reaction from her than he'd seen before, barring her disbelief of his concern over her hand. "Sounds like fun. Are you the leader?"

He paused in his enthusiasm. Should he…?

Minato wasn't here. And it wasn't like he would care if Junpei was accurate in telling a pretty girl about SEES's wild adventures. It'd probably be a lot more interesting for Chidori, too, if he said he was the leader. It made it sound more heroic, didn't it?

But…

" _You can still be a hero,_ " he remembered Minato say, what felt like so long ago. " _Stories never really have just one, you know._ "

It all depended on the point of view.

"No," he answered honestly, and he felt a strange rush of gratification at the way she blinked in surprise. "That's my best friend. He's talented and all, so we elected him, but he's also super lazy and sleeps a bunch. So, I'm there to keep things together and rolling, y'know? I gotta say, it's a full time job."

There was a long, thoughtful silence.

Then, Chidori stood, closing her sketchbook. "Thank you, Junpei… I had fun today."

His heartrate picked up, but he tried to play it cool. "You did?"

She nodded. "It's time for me to go, but… I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

And she left, sauntering away. He watched her go.

It was only when she was out of sight that he grinned to himself. "Tomorrow, huh?" If he pumped his fist in victory, nobody had to know. "All right!"


	34. Fire and Lightning

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : So. My soundboard's come back and one of the first things he told me after reading the last few chapters is that his new theme for "MinatoandTamamo" is Martin Garrix's collab with Bebe Rexha, "In the Name of Love". I think he's trying to hint something, but I don't know if he meant it in general or in the shipping manner…

Also, he brought up an important question that I thought I'd share the answer for. He asked for clarification on Chidori/Medea's ability—about why she wouldn't know it blocked communication (from one person to another behind her shield, specifically) and so on. The thought process behind that was the fact that Strega has been around a while, but they haven't really dealt with other Persona users before. Yes, there were experiments on other children, but, remember, those experiments ultimately _failed_. Even Sho Minazuki of the _Persona 4: Arena_ part of the series, while still alive, was considered a failure. Thus, this operates on the idea that Strega has been wandering as the sole Persona users for a while (which, on a side note, kind of explains Takaya's god complex-thing). (Strega was probably peripherally aware of SEES when it was first established, but were largely uninterested since they probably didn't see SEES as a threat. Given that SEES then had no clear objective and couldn't touch Tartarus as they were understaffed, they weren't exactly _wrong_.)

But anyway, basically, neither Jin nor Takaya have Personas with similar abilities as Chidori's, so she's never had the chance to see how Medea's power matched up or clashed against them. And, seeing as how _she_ can communicate using Medea just fine (such as when she basically hijacked Fuuka later on in the storyline), it's entirely possible that she never considered that others would be hindered while Medea's ability was active.

…If that still doesn't make sense to you, I apologize and must simply asketh thee to suspend thy disbelief and fall back upon the old adage, "a wizard did it", and cease thy plotting to murder me with logic… please.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Four  
**

* * *

Fighting against another Persona user was… interesting.

And by "interesting", Minato honestly just meant "frustrating as all get out". Especially as he had to avoid both Medea and Chidori (with her _ax on a chain_ where did she even _keep_ that thing) in the limited space that was the dorm's rooftop. All with his arms literally tied behind his back, throwing off his sense of balance.

Orpheus swung his harp, smacking Medea quite soundly in the face, knocking her away from her latest pursuit. There was a crackle of black static as the Persona staggered back in sync with Chidori, who made a small sound as the pain echoed back to her.

" _Medea doesn't have much of an exploitable weakness per se, if I recall correctly,_ " Tamamo informed him a moment later. " _Her specialty is Agi, but she also has a special self-healing ability known as the Spring of Life_."

 _Like the legend_ , Minato thought, eyes drawn back to the ram skull mask that covered the Persona's head.

" _Indeed. Unfortunately, this means that Orpheus doesn't have much of an advantage here. He's strong enough to defend you since he's grown with you, but his skill repertoire is limited._ "

Medea swung out at the Master of Strings, who lifted his harp to catch the attack. The effort earned him a knife in his mechanical, gloved arm that had Minato flinching and ordering Orpheus to move away. Orpheus obeyed, lashing out with his leg to get the other Persona out of range.

When Tamamo continued, her voice was noticeably strained, " _Chidori's not built for a long fight. Strike hard, strike fast, strike true._ "

Minato's mind filtered through the Personas he'd had ready for the operation as quickly as he could, searching for one that wouldn't be vulnerable to Agi with enough power to keep Medea at bay. _Succubus, then_.

" _On it!_ "

The next instant, Orpheus turned his head to make eye contact with Minato. After a silent, second-long exchange that Minato didn't fully understand, his Persona turned back. Then, with a ruthlessness Minato didn't expect, Orpheus bashed Medea away once more with his harp, then again seemingly for good measure, before leaping back, his form dissipating into light before he could land.

Then, with a surge of power, the demon Succubus entered the fray with a wicked laugh. Her wings flared with a Bufula spell that had Medea's lithe form jumping away.

Chidori clicked her tongue, and the small downturn tick of her eyebrows belied her annoyance.

* * *

Tamamo watched the battle with a critical eye, trying not to be too tense as she held Minato's Social Link to Fuuka, ready for the instant Medea's power faltered enough to get a message through. Orpheus floated somewhere behind her shoulder, having taken up the spot the moment he was recalled, either watching with her or as some form of moral support that she greatly appreciated.

It was a testament to how focused she was that she didn't even jump when Pharos unexpectedly stepped up beside her. A quick glance told her that his eyes were similarly riveted to Minato's view of the outside world.

They stood in silent solidarity for a while, but eventually Pharos tugged on her sleeve.

"Yes, Pharos?" she asked, if a bit distractedly.

"I can help."

She froze. Reluctantly, she pulled her gaze away from the fight, watching as he mirrored her, expression earnest. Then, hoping she hadn't heard him correctly, she asked, "What?"

Pharos tilted his head. "I can help, if you'd like."

Tamamo's mind flashed back to the Arcana Magician fight, and the terror that followed as Death's power surged and filled Minato's head with the sound of rattling chains. The feeling of being completely overwhelmed, consumed, by the crazed bloodlust of the incomplete Death. The desperation to get away as she was dragged back to Death's door—

Small, cool hands touched hers and she blinked.

"Not like that," Pharos said gently. "That would hurt him, too, right now… But I… _we_ can still help him."

She remained still as he slowly turned her hand palm up. Then, he hovered one of his hands over hers. A tiny spark of lightning ignited between their fingertips. Apparently satisfied with the reaction, Pharos looked up at her with a small, expectant smile.

The appearance of that smile reminded her, strangely, of their first official meeting, right after Minato arrived to the dorm and signed that fateful contract. Pharos had looked at her and said, in that cryptic manner of his, that they were different and yet the same. Back then and all the way up to now, she had thought that he was referring to the fact that they were both bound to Minato, stuck in his head or his sea of souls, but that they were completely different types of beings.

Now, with his memories steadily returning—just four more Arcana Shadows, including the Arcana Hermit that night—and his power as Death growing, she wondered if she had been wrong.

* * *

"Hang in there, Amada!" Mitsuru called as she dashed in front of the younger boy, taking up a defensive stance before him as Akihiko and Shinjiro rushed in to cover them. Amada's Persona, Nemesis, hovered nearby, body struggling to move as electric shocks skittered over it from the Shadow's attack. "Penthesilea!"

"T—Thanks, Mitsuru-senpai," Amada murmured as the healing light of Diarama was bathed over himself and his Persona. He shook out each hand as if to rid them of any lingering effects, trading his spear between them.

"Can you keep going?" she asked him over her shoulder. She knew by the slight furrowing of his brow that he believed her to be coddling him for his younger age, and perhaps in some way she was, but she also knew she would have asked the same of any of her teammates. Amada had taken heavy damage from the charged-up attack, unable to guard in time before the Shadow set it off.

Still, he seemed to bite back his token protest of being treated as a child and only nodded in reply, brandishing the spear that was twice his height with purpose. When Mitsuru moved away, he went back into battle with Nemesis in tow.

Sentient cables slithered after him, rearing up like a serpent primed to strike, and Penthesilea flew forward to intercept.

"How does it look, Yamagishi?" Mitsuru asked over the Shadow's wounded shriek.

"You're nearly there," was the navigator's answer, though she sounded distracted.

Had it been any other time, any other battle, Mitsuru would have disapproved, but she understood that there were certainly extenuating circumstances. Arisato was still missing, and Yamagishi was his friend. She was right to be worried, especially if her concerns about Strega being involved were correct. It was the reason why Mitsuru had left both Takeba and Iori out of the fight as well, as both had shown signs of being distracted on the way.

Still, it was to their advantage that the fight against this Shadow was relatively straightforward. Predictable. With less time needed to monitor them and the Shadow, Yamagishi had more time to spend searching for their field leader.

It was admirable, Mitsuru could admit. The way that the newer members of SEES cared for one another.

Oh, she knew she and Akihiko and even Shinjiro, for all that he tried to stay away until recently, shared a similar bond forged by fires of the Dark Hour. She cared for them. Cared for SEES. But Mitsuru was nothing if not practical. Pragmatic. She knew that she could not allow their mission to waver, regardless of her own feelings and worries. When her power first awakened and Penthesilea took form, she had resolved to do whatever it took to right the wrongs her grandfather and his ambitions caused. For the company's sake.

For her father's sake.

She had steeled her heart, but she could never lock it away completely. She still felt. And she admired her underclassmen for adapting to their induction into SEES by not being afraid to look to one another for support. They were more than colleagues. More than fellow soldiers fighting the same war. They were friends.

Takeba may think of her as the unfeeling leader, the ice queen, but she understood. More than anyone, she felt she understood that desire to help and protect someone else. She channeled it differently, but she still knew.

And so, she carefully did not comment on Yamagishi's distraction, simply letting her work and trusting her to attend to her duties as she defined them.

* * *

"You're very annoying," Chidori said as Minato threw himself out of the way of another attack. She tugged the chain of her weapon, inspecting the ax's blade when it returned to her. There was a nick in it now—Minato could see it clearly even from the distance he stood at—where it had struck the corner of wall that enclosed the roof. "Why do you continue to resist? It's all futile in the end."

Minato didn't reply, instead concentrating on keeping his breathing even. The ropes binding his arms to his torso made it a significantly harder task, especially with the added exertion. When his vision went fuzzy at the edges, he tried not to make it obvious how hard he was blinking to get rid of it.

" _If you're so annoying, she should just fuck off,_ " Tamamo muttered.

It was probably a sign of how affected he was by his injuries that Minato found himself wondering in the middle of a serious battle about how easily his Other switched emotions. Earlier and when she first told him about Chidori Yoshino and her ill-fated love with Junpei, Tamamo had sounded as though she'd pitied the girl. Sympathized with her, even, when she relayed how Chidori had entrusted her life to Junpei so that they would never be apart. But now, she seemed all too ready to just bite the Strega girl's head off.

Succubus soared over his head to block the incoming Medea, knocking him from his thoughts. He dodged clumsily at the demon's dark and blurred form, nearly toppling over thanks to his shot sense of balance. Blearily, he watched as his Persona shoved one hand into Medea's face while the other kept her knife at bay, clawing at the red eyes embedded in the ram skull as she forced Medea's head back.

She nearly succeeded in completely inclining Medea's head when Chidori let out a strangled, pained gasp. "Medea!"

An instant later, Succubus was engulfed in flames. She shrieked as she scrambled away from Medea, who calmly righted the position of her head while the demon burned.

His current Persona may have resisted Agi-type spells, and Tamamo's shield may have helped block some of the damage, but the pain still echoed back to Minato with all the force of a tidal wave. Like thousands of shards of glass, it cut deep into his mind, burning white-hot by the power of the spell. **_Agidyne_**. He managed to keep from screaming aloud, but only just.

Instead, Tamamo screamed for him. " _MINATO!_ "

* * *

"Aki," Shinjiro spoke. His voice was just barely above a murmur, but it was clear enough that even Mitsuru, who was the furthest away from him, could hear it.

Across from him, even with the Shadow's body between them, Mitsuru watched Akihiko straighten with realization. She looked on with no little consternation as he nodded, a familiar smirk curling his lips. "I'm with ya, Shinji!"

Shinjiro seemed to just barely resist rolling his eyes, hefting his ax so that it rested partially on his shoulder. Castor flew to his side just as Polydeuces rose to Akihiko's. When both Personas were in position, Shinjiro lifted his shoulder, nudging the ax off of it. He held onto it, but let gravity do the work for him as it swung back. He firmed his stance as Castor shot forward, black form streaking across the mass of wires and bulldozing into the Arcana Hermit's stationary form.

The Shadow let out a fearsome shriek as it was knocked back—right into the path of the waiting Polydeuces. Rearing one needle-arm back, the Persona sent the tethered Shadow careening right back the way it came. Only for it to be volleyed right back.

With a familiar sense of exasperation creeping up on her, Mitsuru watched a demented form of tennis occur, the two Personas knocking the Shadow back and forth like a toy, faster and faster until, finally, it slipped past Castor's range.

Shinjiro clicked his tongue, stepping to the side. He lifted his ax and swung, the heavy blade sinking into the Shadow's mask. The borderline delinquent barely batted an eye when the Shadow screamed in his face as it melted into the familiar red and black mist.

"Heh." Akihiko grinned, oblivious to the bewildered frown Amada was sending them in the background.

This time, Shinjiro _did_ roll his eyes. "Shut up."

For all that they were older now, Mitsuru considered, the two boys she'd ended up first recruiting into SEES were still just that. Boys.

(If she hid a smile behind a curl of hair, then, well. No one had to know.)

"Yamagishi," she spoke up after a moment of silence. "Do you sense anything?"

"Not in there, no," the younger girl replied.

"…And Arisato?"

The response was much slower. Reluctant. "No. Nothing. I—Wait!" Beside her, Mitsuru saw Akihiko and Amada tense while Shinjiro looked over his shoulder. Then, Yamagishi gasped. "It's faint, and flickering oddly, but I think… I might sense Minato-kun!"

Mitsuru straightened, readying for possible combat once more. With only a look at the others, she began leading them back up to central area of the mall. "Can you pinpoint a location?"

"Not yet. But he's nearby, I'm sure."

"Keep searching, then. We'll regroup with you and the others," Mitsuru said, though she knew that was a bit redundant given that Yamagishi would have already sensed that. "Be ready for anything."

* * *

Succubus had stopped burning, but the fire was replaced by the black static that announced the Persona's vulnerability. Her posture reflected that as well, drooping where she once was strong. Even her wings seemed limp. The expression on her face, though, told another story entirely.

Temptation incarnate, the Persona Succubus was generally very dainty and alluring. Attractive and knowing it. Flaunting it. She smiled prettily when she attacked, and laughed as though all the world was a game.

Now, though, her teeth were bared, lips pulled back into a vicious snarl. Her eyes tracked both Medea and Chidori with dark, almost hungry intensity. She looked like the demon she was.

And it was all fueled by Tamamo, Minato realized as his Persona floated protectively beside him. He was too tired to focus on anything but surviving, much less to feel angry. But in his head, he could feel his Other's fury burning like a star, as if she had taken the fire Chidori and Medea set upon them and now wielded it as her own.

Across from them, he noticed that neither Chidori nor Medea moved. Backed into a corner as he was, both literally and metaphorically, he couldn't help but wonder why. It was only when he looked to them to try and see what they could have been planning that he noticed the sparks of electricity filling the air. They swirled around, blinking in and out of existence, giving an almost shimmering effect to the space between him and Chidori, who watched it warily.

Minato hadn't fused Succubus with any Zio spells.

At that moment, Medea shifted.

Just barely a foot, as if trying to edge around the electric barrier. Find its limits.

An instant later, a bolt of lightning shot out at her, striking the Persona's tall, thin leg. Chidori crumpled together with her Persona, letting out a short scream as the pain ricocheted back to her. She struggled to regain her breath, only to stare in stunned bewilderment as her Persona tried and failed to stand back up.

Medea's leg, where it was struck, was encased in ice. And that ice was steadily growing, creeping up the Persona's side, down to the ground, down the rest of her leg to her foot. A slow petrification.

"M—Medea…" Chidori whimpered. She stared at the ice a moment longer before her gaze snapped back to Minato, brown eyes wild. "You! What have you done to Medea!?"

Another flash of lightning erupted, rushing passed Chidori's figure. She choked and Minato watched as Medea was shot down, ice forming on her chest. Black static ran over the surface as the Persona struggled to move before the ice froze her completely.

Chidori dragged herself closer, reaching out as if to try and help her Persona, only for another lightning bolt to whiz by her threateningly. It grazed Medea's head, freezing a lock of blonde hair.

"Stop!" Chidori screeched, whirling around to glare at him with such hatred that he flinched. "Stop hurting Medea!"

" _As you wish_ ," Tamamo murmured.

Minato's eyes widened. _Tamamo—!_

Heedless of his call, lightning struck again, this time not aiming for the Persona, but Chidori herself. Minato watched, horrified but unable to look away. But just before the attack struck, the lightning split, like a web, the now separate strokes arcing around her before flash-freezing into a crude cage. It left her barely any room to move.

Succubus left his side without his bidding, gliding over to the cage. Though she was moving slowly, gingerly, she still managed to deftly reach out through the jagged bars of ice to grab Chidori's ax where it had fallen. The demonic Persona tossed the weapon carelessly to the side before reaching in once more, to the space at Chidori's back where Minato had seen her pull her Evoker from.

"No!" Chidori cried out, slapping the Persona's hand away as best she could. But Succubus was relentless, and with barely a struggle she extracted the summoning tool from the Strega member's grasp. Chidori pressed herself against the icy bars, pale hand reaching feebly, but Succubus flew away, back to Minato's side. "No! You can't do this…!" She gasped, twisting around, only to make a wounded sound when her Persona dissipated in wisps of flame and light, too damaged to sustain her physical form. "Medea…!"

For all that she had harmed him, even tried to kill him, Minato felt a tendril of guilt twist over him as he watched her beg for her Persona to be returned to her. He knew he couldn't, but a part of him couldn't help but look over to Succubus anyway.

His Persona floated nearby, Chidori's Evoker in hand. She wasn't looking at him or even at Chidori, her gaze drawn, instead, to the side of the roof. Her head tilted in a considering way, fingers flicking over the Evoker, which she glanced at briefly before returning her gaze to the side.

Quickly catching on, Minato spoke up, "No. Don't even think about it."

Succubus looked at him then, eyebrows drawn up high on her forehead. Without the fearsome snarl and promised pain in her eyes, she looked innocent. When Minato only shook his head at her, she drooped, pouting prettily before dropping the Evoker and dismissing herself in a huff.

 _You've done enough_ , Minato thought firmly. Because while he knew that Succubus could be petty and cruel, none of his Personas ever acted without some inkling of genuine emotion from his side. It was in their name—though they manifested as beings of myth and legend, they were reflections of his soul, his personality, in some way. And being so tied to a certain Other in his head…

Well. He had no doubts about what had driven Succubus in the last moments of the battle.

Tamamo herself was quiet for a long moment, but she made no move to deny the truth of his assumptions. After a while, he thought she wouldn't reply.

But then, " _She hurt you. I just wanted to return the favor_." Unlike what the smoldering remains of her anger told him, her voice was positively tranquil. Before he could even think of a reply, she added, " _I can feel Fuuka trying to contact us. Sit down and rest, Minato. I'll let her know what happened and where we are._ "

Unable to muster the energy to argue, Minato did as told, sinking down to his knees before rearranging himself into a more comfortable sitting position. He was careful to keep Chidori in sight, though the red-haired girl had quickly grown despondent after her Evoker was taken from her.

Until the rest of SEES showed up, there was little he could do but wait.

Belatedly, he found himself hoping, quite vainly, that Junpei wouldn't be the first to reach the roof when they arrived.

* * *

Waiting for SEES was a welcome respite, but Tamamo kept herself alert in case Jin and/or Takaya somehow decided to worm their way into the scene. Strega hadn't seemed to really care for one another—well, except for Jin's near-worship of Takaya—but then again she couldn't really remember their relationships. They hadn't had much screen time for all that they were secondary antagonists, and most of that time was spent on their attempts to sabotage SEES rather than their interactions with one another.

Speaking of antagonists…

Pharos was humming from where he was seated beside her, fiddling with a leaf from one of the mindscape's many trees. She recognized the song as one she sang sometimes to herself when she was bored, making her wonder briefly how often the boy Death checked in on her when he wasn't immediately visible.

Shaking her head, she called, "Pharos."

The boy blinked up at her.

"Thank you," she told him sincerely. She bowed her head for good measure. "For helping me protect Minato."

Pharos stared, gaze fathomless. Then, an indulgent smile tinged with amusement pulled at the corners of his lips.

"I didn't do much, to be honest," he confessed.

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

After Medea's horrifying casting of Agidyne, Tamamo had thrown her caution to the proverbial wind and took up Pharos's offer to help. Together, the two had directed her power, giving it enough strength to reach outside Minato's mindscape to affect the real world. It had been thanks to Pharos that she'd had enough power to strike Medea so hard that it downed her, as well as enough precision to bind Chidori.

…Wasn't it?

Pharos tipped his head, as if to acknowledge all of the points Tamamo had just thought. "All you needed was a guide. A proper channel for your power to flow through."

One small, pale hand rose, holding a leaf. His fingers closed around it, crushing it. When he reopened his hand, a blue butterfly flickered into existence from the leaf's remains.

Tamamo watched it, transfixed.

It wasn't the butterfly that represented Philemon, she noted. That butterfly was plain and soundless. The one that fluttered before her now had wings that looked like stained glass, carrying within them a ghostly blue light. When it flew, its wingbeats were accompanied by what sounded like wind chimes, soft and comforting.

"I didn't do much to help you then," Pharos repeated. "If anything, I had to hold you back."

By the time the words registered and Tamamo had the presence of mind to question him, Pharos had already disappeared.


	35. Mandatory Recovery Period

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Okay, it's been a while, but I actually have a reason for my absence in that my laptop had decided to fritz out on me a while back. It was some sort of virus? It freaked me the hell out either way because it had my laptop acting like it was possessed—the mouse was moving erratically on its own on the screen, my internet browser opened like a million pages at once, and so on. I could literally do nothing even after multiple restarts and the like. Then, when I managed to finally get some free time to get it fixed, I found out that I lost what I'd already written of this chapter and some notes I'd been making for future ones…

In short, I had a bit of a BSOD. It was _so_ discouraging, let me tell you, and I am ashamed to say that I let it get the best of me for a while. But I've recently slapped myself upside the head and reminded myself that I mostly remember how the original chapter went and what my notes were, so I've gotten back to writing it. And backing it up. Excessively. Still, apologies for the prolonged wait and if this chapter seems lackluster (it's the mandatory recovery period, though, so I could only do so much, haha). But enough of the behind-the-scenes—onwards, good readers!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Five  
**

* * *

When his fellow members of SEES finally arrived, it was Mitsuru who led the way, followed by her fellow seniors. Fuuka was behind them, looking apprehensive and determined, but that quickly melted away into surprise when she saw Chidori in her icy cage.

"Oh, damn…" Akihiko muttered as soon as he stepped onto the roof. He quickly removed his combat gloves and strode across the short distance to Minato. Kneeling down, he took a brief moment to look Minato over before working at the ropes that bound him.

Minato murmured a tired thanks that the upperclassman waved off, but his eyes watched the open doorway as Mitsuru and Shinjiro left it to approach Chidori. Tendrils of dread crept up his spine as Yukari appeared, her expression morphing into shock when she saw him, followed quickly by Ken, Aigis, and Koromaru. Then, finally, Junpei…

"Whoa," the other teen said as he cleared the doorway. "You look like crap, Minato!" He grinned, gaze flicking briefly to the side to where Mitsuru and Shinjiro stood, quietly conversing. "Must've been some…" His voice trailed, grin fading. Slowly, and clearly reluctant, his eyes turned back to the sight his brain must have been trying to deny. "…battle…"

Minato sighed when he saw his friend's face fall as the information of who, exactly, was trapped in the cage clearly caught up with him.

"Chidori…?" The sound of her name was both a call and a question left unfinished.

The girl herself twitched slightly at his voice—the only movement Minato had seen since her Evoker was taken away—but otherwise didn't react.

That was when Ikutsuki barged his way onto the roof. "I heard you all come up, what on Earth are you all…?" He gasped, sounding authentically shocked when he saw Chidori. "How did she—I didn't hear a thing!"

Really?

Not that Minato expected anything different, but just… really? How could he not have? They'd been _fighting_. Chidori had likely dragged his unconscious body _up the damn stairs_. Both of them had yelled out in response to their own pain, had tumbled across the roof more than once to dodge each other's attacks, and this bastard felt like he could just hide behind his ditzy façade and just—there were cameras, _working cameras_ , on the roof during the Dark Hour and he just—!

Suddenly, Minato found himself very, _very_ glad that Succubus was already dismissed. Between the Persona's innate cruelty, his Other's lingering anger, and his own kneejerk reaction, he wasn't sure he could've stopped himself from doing something stupid. Like trying to kick the chairman off the roof, for instance.

" _I can easily change that…_ " Tamamo muttered scornfully.

"There we go," Akihiko spoke up, interrupting Minato before he could reply. The boxer tugged at Minato's binds in one area, shifting to another, before finally pulling them loose. When Minato slipped free of the ropes, letting out a breath of relief, Akihiko stood, looking over him with a critical eye. "Were you injured? Fuuka said you were in a fight against her." He tipped his head in Chidori's direction.

All Minato wanted to do was slink off to his room and sleep, but he acknowledged that was probably a bad idea. "She knocked me out before. Hit my head with something heavy." Not to mention the damage inflicted during the actual fight, regardless of how most of the attacks never showed up physically. But that was a given.

Akihiko nodded, turning to address the others. "Hey, Yukari!" He waved the girl over. She responded promptly, sparing a concerned glance for Minato where he remained seated. "Stay with him for a bit? Make sure he stays conscious; he might have a concussion. I'm gonna go ask Mitsuru if we can get a doctor to check him out."

Looking alarmed, the archer agreed and stayed put as Akihiko jogged away. Gingerly, she sat down near Minato, lifting a hand to beckon over both Fuuka, who hovered worriedly between the groups but gladly headed over, and Junpei, who ignored her in his distraction.

"This is ridiculous," Yukari muttered as Fuuka neared. "Dealing with these Strega creeps on top of these operations…? Ugh, I can't wait until all those Shadows are gone."

In spite of himself, Minato snorted.

If only she knew.

* * *

In the end, Mitsuru did manage to call for a doctor. The Kirijo Group consisted of many branches, after all. And with how dangerous the Dark Hour was, it was no surprise that there were numerous individuals with medical expertise who, like Ikutsuki and President Takeharu Kirijo himself, could remain conscious and aware during the Dark Hour but not have enough potential for Personas.

Of course, the Dark Hour ended before the physician actually arrived, but at the very least they hadn't prolonged Minato's suffering by making him wait until the end.

While Minato was checked out, the other members of SEES debated on what to do with Chidori—once they got her out of her little prison, anyway. According to Shinjiro, the ice was "damn tough" even without the supernatural air of the Dark Hour aiding it and didn't look to be melting anytime soon. It was actually rather perplexing to them, and the older members of SEES plus Ikutsuki were especially curious of the substance and why it lingered physically when, usually, Persona abilities faded after the initial strike.

…Or so Fuuka told him, summarizing what had gone on the roof when Minato was led down to the lounge to be better examined.

When Minato, feeling more than a little exhausted, opened his mouth to ask why she was telling him all of this when he could barely think straight, Tamamo gently hushed him. " _I asked. She doesn't have Lucia summoned so we can't have full conversations without dragging you through it, but I managed to ask her to let us—let me—know what happens. This is the easiest way._ " She let out her own tired chuckle. " _Good thing, too. I don't know how you should answer if they ask you about the ice right now, but at least we can be a little more prepared in case they do._ "

Unable to formulate a response, Minato could only bob his head, hoping that at least some sliver of gratitude got through to both his Other and Fuuka. He was careful not to give anything away, keeping his face straight from years of practice, but he couldn't help but feel bad. The two girls often coordinated things together, especially in Tartarus, with Minato acting as some cross of a go-between and a distraction for the rest of SEES, asking questions and requesting information so Fuuka could fill them all in without appearing more omniscient than she was. With Minato's condition now, however, he was barely coherent.

" _You just went up against a more experienced Persona user long before you should have ever had to fight her,_ " Tamamo interrupted his thoughts before he could fall further into self-deprecation. " _She might not be the toughest boss around, but given that you were alone and_ tied up _, you can easily be forgiven for not escaping unscathed._ "

He huffed, a wry smile forming on his lips as he pointedly didn't argue. He was honestly too tired to, and he knew she had a point.

… _Can I go to sleep yet?_

Tamamo chuckled. " _Not yet. Just a little longer._ "

Taking a deep breath, Minato sagged further into his seat, blinking hard to get rid of the sleepiness from his eyes—if only temporarily. A dull throb of a headache pulsated in the space between his temples, present but not quite unbearable. He had the foreboding feeling that it would be only the first of many headaches he would be having in the months to come, but did his best to shove the anxiety that accompanied the thought down.

"One step at a time", he was beginning to realize, was going to quickly become his motto.

* * *

The verdict on Minato's health was typical of patients with head injuries. After consulting with Mitsuru and the others for a better feel of how their battles affected them, the Kirijo doctor had advised him to take it easy the next few days and play things by ear. He would have to be monitored for the first twenty-four hours whenever he slept, which was easily accepted and shared by the other members of SEES—made easier by the fact that it was Saturday (or technically very early Sunday) so at least there wasn't class the immediate next day.

It was also advised that he stayed at the dorm for a while to continue resting, rather than go to school—at least for a few days. The physician had admitted, however, that studies showed that Persona users could be anomalies when it came to healing and recovery, with some requiring the time "normal people" needed to heal from wounds while others had had accelerated healing capable of reducing their recovery time with the help of their Personas.

(Minato very carefully did not look at Junpei when the elder man relayed all this to the group, though he still wondered if the other boy was making the connections about Chidori anyway.)

In the end, with a warning for Minato to check in to the ER if he felt worse and a request for the others to keep an eye on him while he recovered, the doctor left to a chorus of thanks from SEES. Then, without anything else pressing on them, Minato was ushered up the stairs to rest with a reminder to not lock his door so his dormmates could check up on him every other hour or so.

Gingerly, he changed out of his uniform and into his sleepwear before sinking down onto his bed. For a moment, he simply lay there, just breathing. His head was still throbbing, a little worse now, but at least not at just-shoot-me-migraine levels. Nowhere near the violent and stunning pain brought by Chidori's Agidyne. Just a mocking shade of it, like sore wounds.

Tamamo hummed, accompanied by a gentle brush through his mind.

Minato closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he was in his mindscape. He could tell by the feel of water lapping at his sides that he was lying in the shallow lake that now represented his Other's corner of his mind. It was cool, but not uncomfortable. He savored the feeling.

Fingers combed gently through his hair and he tilted his head back to find Tamamo all but curled around him, chin propped up on her free hand as she stared off into the distance, humming. Not quite close enough for her to be right against him, but still close. All he had to do was reach out and touch her, if he wanted to.

"Rest, Minato," she said, interrupting her humming before he could decide. She cast him a sidelong look, bicolored eyes tired and reluctantly amused. "I thought you couldn't wait to sleep."

"I will," he told her. Then, feeling distinctly like the child he had been when she first woke up, a companion and a constant even when his parents had died, he asked, "Stay with me?"

Tamamo looked at him fully then, blinking with surprise.

It was embarrassing—he hadn't asked that since he was at least nine and bedridden with the flu (the stress from moving around so much was killer on the immune system, who knew?)—but he forced himself not to look away. This was Tamamo. This was his Other. If there was anyone he could afford to show weakness to, it was her.

A wry smile slowly dawned on her face. When she opened her mouth, he preemptively braced himself for her now usual statement of how unhealthy their dependence on each other was. But she only gave a small chuckle and said, "At this point, I sincerely doubt you can get rid of me."

If he could have, he would have laughed. As it was, he simply let out a small, amused huff. "Never."

"Wha—" Tamamo's hand retreated from his hair as she spluttered, embarrassment clear even without the need for their bond to tell him. She fell quiet soon enough, muttering under her breath with quiet indignity. A beat later, though, and her hand resumed combing through his hair, gentle as ever.

And as he finally fell asleep, he smiled.

* * *

All Sunday, Minato slept with the occasional check-in by the other members of SEES. Fuuka was, predictably, one of his visitors. From what he could recall of his hazy memories of the visit, she told him that Mitsuru and Akihiko would be going to see and interrogate Chidori, whom they had eventually gotten out of the ice cage. Yukari had visited as well, reporting much the same thing and that she had gone to check him before leaving to join up with the seniors. Afterwards, Shinjiro was, surprisingly, another one of his visitors. As was Ken.

Junpei had checked in later on as well, and it twisted at Minato to see his friend look so lost and troubled when he didn't think Minato could see. A few times, the other boy had made to say something after waking Minato, but eventually he gave up, offered Minato a cheesy grin and called him "Sleeping Beauty".

 _I hope you're right about Chidori_ , he thought after Junpei left his room, making up an excuse that he had homework to complete.

Junpei. Homework. Honestly.

A contradicting blend of lingering annoyance and pity flared up at his words, but Tamamo didn't reply otherwise.

* * *

On Monday, the other SEES members went to class, with Mitsuru checking in on him in the morning. He'd passed the critical observation point a while ago so it wasn't entirely necessary, but the red-haired upperclassman had seemed amused as she informed him that she was making sure he wasn't trying to sneak off to class anyway.

Minato, who woke with a pounding in his head that couldn't seem to decide whether it wanted to stay a headache or upgrade to a migraine, assured her that he wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

That ended up being a bit of a lie, since he soon felt he couldn't stay in his room for much longer without feeling a little stir-crazy. But he didn't move far. Just to the lounge, where he sprawled out on the couch and enjoyed the silence with Koromaru for company.

He slipped in and out of consciousness, catching glimpses of the day as it passed him by—both in his mindscape and not. A breath, and he would see Tamamo teaching Pharos how to weave flower crowns. Another, and Ken would be looking over him with concern as he entered the dorm, fresh from his elementary school classes. At some point, someone forced him to drink water and shoved a plain sandwich in his hand, which he ate halfheartedly.

When, exactly, he returned to his room he didn't know—if he traveled there alone or had help. But another glass of water and sandwich waited for him on his bedside table when he next opened his eyes. He took them dutifully with more than a little gratitude for his friends and teammates for their patience and thoughtfulness.

He was drifting off again before long, the sound of a soft tune played on a lyre drifting over his ears. A voice accompanied the sound, a low and steady timbre, joined occasionally by the slightly hesitant voice that Minato recognized as his Other's. It took a bit of effort, but he eventually mustered up the will to open his eyes if only the slightest bit, even as the soothing music tempted him to return to his restful oblivion.

The scene that greeted him was a serene one. Orpheus was floating in a seated position over the shallow lake, mechanical fingers skillfully plucking and strumming the strings he was master of. Though the mask that was his face barely moved, incapable of producing fully human expressions, he provided the vocals that Minato listened to. Every so often, the Persona gave a small nod to signal Tamamo to join him from where she sat at the water's edge, adding her voice to his in gentle harmony.

The last thing Minato saw before he fully faded was Pharos, who sat completely still by Tamamo's side (and wearing a flower crown, to Minato's tired amusement). His blue eyes were deep and fathomless as he stared, unblinking, at the sky full of fake stars above.

Vaguely, Minato wondered if Death had ever had the opportunity to sit so still before. To sit and observe and simply listen.

* * *

On Tuesday, Minato went to the hospital to be looked over, accompanied by Mitsuru and Akihiko, who were taking that time to visit Chidori, who was being kept in an isolated and guarded room. The doctor, who was the same one that had seen to his injury, had given him good news: he was looking much better, so it was likely that he would be able to return to his normal routine. Gradually, of course. If he took the remainder of that day to continue resting and the next day doing light activities without any problems, then he could return to class. Any kendo for his club and "certain _other_ extracurricular activities" would have to wait, though.

It was relieving, in all honesty. Minato didn't think he'd been so inactive since arriving to Port Island. He'd always been running around from one spot to the next, it seemed, that the sudden lack of it made him feel off.

Unfortunately, he still had two days to burn through. Even if he would actually be allowed to do more than shuffle from room to room in the dorm for one.

" _From the way you just thought that, it's like you've been under house arrest for months and you've finally reached the end of your sentence_ ," Tamamo murmured, amused. " _Teenagers. Always have to be on the move, don't you?_ "

 _Don't_ have _to,_ he thought, idly tracing patterns on the ceiling of his room with his eyes. _I guess I just never realized how much I did that suddenly being forced to not do anything is really restricting._

" _Ah, so it's the teenage instinct to rebel, is that it?_ "

Minato huffed, directing his exhale so that his bangs fluttered briefly over his face. But even as he rolled his eyes, he couldn't help the smile that wound its way across his face. _Saddest rebellion I ever heard of…_ He leaned back as she laughed, letting the sound wash over him. _What're you doing?_

" _Trying to contaminate your mindscape,_ " was his Other's reply. The sugary-sweet and innocent tone made him raise his eyebrow.

 _What?_

" _Everything's blue!_ " she whined. " _I mean, blue is my favorite color, too, but these days it's all I see! Oh lord, does that count as a pun? I didn't say 'sea', I_ swear _—_ "

A chuckle escaped before he could stop himself, and his Other's rambling subsided. Even without diving into his mindscape, he could just see her pleased smile at redirecting his sullen and restless thoughts. _Okay, okay, I get it. Everything's blue. So what are you doing, exactly?_

" _I'm making a pink section_."

… _Like your hair?_

" _My hair is not pink!_ " Tamamo cried out with mock indignation. Minato felt a spike of mischievousness just before she continued, " _It's a light-ish red._ "

He blinked. _Huh?_

A huff was his answer. " _It's nothing; just a silly reference. But yes, I'm aiming for something like my hair, but your trees are unsurprisingly stubborn. This one's kind of an ugly-looking purple right now._ "

Minato gave a thoughtful hum. His eyes trailed to the clock on his nightstand. It was still early afternoon, so it wasn't likely that many of his other dormmates were back yet. He didn't care for television either, so…

A blink, a breath, and—

"Oof! What the—Minato! Argh, I _knew_ this would happen one day, you—"

"Wow. That _is_ an ugly purple."

"At least get _off_ of me first before you start commenting on the décor!"

* * *

In hindsight, it was probably a bad idea to spend the majority of the afternoon in his mindscape when he was already feeling restless. Sure, his mind was still active so it wasn't like he was sleeping and refreshing that energy, but his body still wasn't exactly doing much while he was there. This, unfortunately, led to him being unable to sleep as the night hours rolled around, and no amount of tossing and turning in his bed brought him closer to it.

Tamamo could help him, could guide him to sleep as she'd done numerous times before. But when he asked her why she hadn't done so already, she was hesitant.

" _You've never had a head injury before,_ " she told him. " _Or at least not one so serious. The doctor said you should be okay, but…_ "

"Should" was not the same as "would". He knew that all too well. On the off-chance that something went wrong, Minato had no doubt that his Other would react… badly, to say the least.

(Whether he would be conscious to witness it or not, he'd already seen her at her most hysterical and guilt-ridden once before. He had no desire to see her like that again if she was the cause of anything happening to him.)

So, without many options left to him with the night well on its way to the Dark Hour and the rest of his dormmates asleep, he got up and decided to see if drinking some tea would help him sleep. If nothing else, the lounge was a much wider space even with the furniture, and he would have an easier time pacing around there than his room.

" _It really is a shame_." Tamamo hummed as he quietly made his way down the stairs and to the dorm's kitchen. " _Nighttime walks were usually quite pleasant where I lived before. Or even nighttime drives, if I wanted to be away longer. Iwatodai and Port Island look like they'd be similarly nice to see at night, if not for the threat of Shadows at midnight. And Strega._ "

The mention of the rogue Persona-users had his mind flashing to Chidori, and how the meeting between her and the two seniors went earlier. But thinking of Chidori inevitably brought his mind to Junpei, which he had to force his thoughts off of. Concerned as he was for his friend, late night musings would do him no good when he was trying to recover.

So, he only hummed in response as he set a kettle to boil water.

Tamamo likely caught his desire for a different subject, since she went on. Blithely, as if she didn't care for it and was simply talking to hear herself talk, but he could tell. Somehow. " _You know, it's kind of funny, actually. My sister, she—wait, have I told you about her before?_ "

 _Yes_ , Minato thought, though he had to think back to the story she'd told him and Pharos about her previous life. _The perfectionist?_

" _Yep, that's the one!_ " There was a little curl of warmth that told him she was pleased he'd managed to remember. " _Anyway, she lived in Japan for a while. She was part of this thing called the JET Program, you see, so she was over here to teach kids. My parents and I would have these video chats with her every so often and she'd tell us tons of stories about the place she was assigned to. I'd grown out of my 'I need to see the world and greener pastures' phase by then so I'd declined her offer to visit when she asked, but… watching life here through your eyes let me realize how similar it all is. Outside of the whole Dark Hour thing, I mean. The customs might be different, and maybe the way people hold themselves, and their history, but…_ "

There was no sadness, no mournful edge to her words, but the thoughtful way that they rang as she trailed off made Minato curious. _Feeling homesick?_

" _My home is with you,_ " was his Other's reply (and damn if that didn't make him happy and pleased and maybe a little smug). " _It's just… nostalgic, I guess. Like finding an old, childhood safety blanket. It's still a part of me in some way. Helped shape me. Sheltered me. I know I don't need it anymore because I've grown up, but the memories are still there. I still cherish them._ " He got the impression of her tilting her head. " _Does that make sense?_ "

Minato considered her words. Thought back to his own childhood, or what scraps of it he could remember. Those scarce years with his parents before they died—were killed. It probably wasn't exactly the same feeling, but the memory of that warmth… _Yeah. I think so._

The next impression he received from Tamamo felt much like a smile. He couldn't help but return it as they lapsed into a comfortable silence, broken only when Minato pulled the kettle off the stove to pour into a cup for his tea. With the steaming beverage in hand, he shuffled his way back to the lounge to enjoy it.

It was a few minutes and a couple of sips later that he paused, listening as someone trudged their way down the stairs.

Shinjiro came into view only moments later, dressed in a strange combination of his usual outer wear and what Minato could only assume were his pajamas. His signature pea coat covered his upper body as securely as usual, but his pants definitely seemed of lighter material than what he wore when he went out. His beanie was absent.

His scowl was not.

"The hell're you doing up?"

The senior's rough voice made his shoulders jump slightly, if only for the difference it made from the previous silence. Unsure of what to say, Minato blinked slowly and glanced at his teacup as if it held all the answers.

Shinjiro seemed to take that as an answer in itself, snorting as he walked further into the lounge rather than returning back up the stairs as Minato half-expected. He took a seat at the other end of the table with heavy, almost dragging movements that rang of exhaustion.

Minato stared at the upperclassman, uncertain of why he chose to stick around or, really, why he'd gone to the lounge in the first place. He could understand the older boy heading out late at night, as he seemed the type, but, other than his coat, Shinjiro looked unsuited for a stroll.

Eventually, the awkward silence made him speak up. "What about you?"

Shinjiro's dark eyes slanted over his way, head tilting ever so slightly from where he had it bowed over the table. "What?"

Minato fidgeted slightly, but didn't look away. He cleared his throat as he repeated, "What about you? Why are you awake right now?"

The expression he earned in response was admirably deadpan. "I've been hanging out later than this at some shady ass places for years. Hard to suddenly stop and be an honor student like Aki and Mitsuru at the drop of a hat." The older boy punctuated his statement with a halfhearted shrug of one shoulder. "Then I heard you sneak down and start making a racket in the kitchen. Figured I'd make sure you didn't go and burn us all to death."

" _Makes you wonder if he's had experience saving the kitchen from blowing up before, to say such a thing so casually._ "

Minato winced, though whether it was because of Shinjiro's words or Tamamo's was anyone's guess. "Sorry. I didn't think anyone else was awake or would mind if I…"

Awkwardly, he trailed off into silence. He attempted to ignore it by focusing on drinking his tea, but his quiet sips suddenly sounded deafening in the quiet lounge.

"… _He looks exhausted,_ " Tamamo said, when Minato glanced Shinjiro's way again.

He did, Minato noted. Although his posture could be taken as one of deep thought at first glance, further observation made it apparent that the senior's body was clearly begging for rest. From his bowed head to his sloped shoulders to the slump of his back, it looked as though he were being heavily weighed down and only sheer stubbornness kept him somewhat upright.

"Would you like some tea?" Minato asked, the question ripping itself out before he could actually think about it. "I mean, I couldn't sleep, so I made this tea—there was still some water—well, it might be cooler now, but I could warm some more up?"

Shinjiro straightened, but though he still looked ready to sleep for the next few hours or days, he actually looked a bit amused, too. The line of his shoulders looked less tense, at least. "Just finish yours and go to bed, will you?" He pushed himself from the table and stood. "I'll get my own damn tea."

He shuffled off and Minato tried not to watch him too obviously. When the senior finally disappeared into the kitchen, door swinging shut behind him, Minato slouched further than usual.

 _Social interaction is tiring…_

" _Does that even count?_ " Tamamo snarked.

He chose not to think about it since he didn't exactly have the best track record for such things, choosing instead to follow Shinjiro's command and drain the rest of his tea. Once finished, he took his cup to bring it to the kitchen, but as he neared the door, he froze.

 _Do you hear that?_

Tamamo didn't reply, but there was a spark of feeling from her, like a nudge to be quiet.

Obliging, Minato leaned forward as much as he could without brushing up against the door entirely. He tilted his head so one ear was angled to the kitchen. And even then, he had to strain his hearing to catch what he swore he'd heard.

When nothing happened for several long moments, he wondered if he'd just imagined it.

But then, just before he could straighten up again and barge in, he heard it.

Coughing. Rough and heavy, from deep in the chest. Muffled to the point that if he hadn't been specifically listening for it, he'd have missed it entirely. It sounded wet, too, like it had too much phlegm or—

" _Blood_ ," Tamamo murmured.

Unbidden, Minato thought of the date. Thought of the calendar and the next full moon. Thought of Tamamo's warnings.

Shinjiro's death, if events went as Tamamo remembered them, would take place in less than a month.

" _No one can escape time,_ " Pharos had told him what felt like so long ago. Back when he'd first arrived to Iwatodai and unknowingly set forth everything into motion. " _It delivers us all to the same end._ "

Minato's fingers tightened around the small, ceramic teacup.

Then, slowly, carefully, he backed away from the kitchen door, strode across the lounge, and bounded up the stairs, carrying the delicate object with him. He could bring it down the next day.

He had a few things to go over with Tamamo in the meantime. Rest be damned.

* * *

 **EXTRA**

* * *

… _Do you see anything?_

" _Nope_."

 _Are you_ sure _?_

" _Yep_."

 _Are you_ really _sure?_

Other laughed. " _Yes, Minato, I'm_ really _sure. There's nothing under your bed. Whatever you saw, it's gone now._ "

Seven-year-old Minato pushed himself up from where he'd been hanging over the side of the bed, just enough to peek under it without getting caught by the monster that had been lurking in the shadows. _Maybe it just wants you to think that._

" _Nooooope, I'm pretty sure I scared it away._ "

He tilted his head, squinting with suspicion. _You did?_

" _Mhm_."

 _How?_

" _Monsters that live under the bed are really big cowards, you see,_ " Other explained. When Minato only tilted his head further, she elaborated, " _Scaredy-cats. They like to scare kids, but they run away when something bigger comes along._ "

 _Like my mom and dad?_ Minato suggested. There was a twinge of sadness when he thought about them. A twist of longing. But it didn't hurt as badly. He was getting better. Other said so.

" _Yes_ ," said Other, and she sounded sad, too.

Not wanting to make her sad, Minato quickly asked, _But why did they run from you, then? They can't see you._ Then, he blinked. _Can they?_

" _Not like you can. Monsters just have a way of sensing other monsters._ "

 _Other monsters_? That immediately gave Minato pause. _You're a monster, Other?_

Other snickered. _Ah, I'm great. What a wonderful play on words_. Minato frowned slightly, not understanding what she meant or why it was funny. _But yes, Minato. I am a monster. A bigger monster than the one under your bed._

There was silence as Minato soaked this in. Then, hesitantly, he said, _No, you're not…?_

" _I am,_ " she insisted.

 _But_ , he protested, confused, _you don't act like a monster? And—And if you are a monster, then why do you live in my head?_

" _Everyone has a monster that lives in their head,_ " Other told him sagely. " _Some more than others. But most don't realize it because not all of those monsters are as friendly and talkative as me._ "

That… made sense, Minato thought. _So you're a friendly monster._

Other hummed in agreement, and with it came a small tendril of warmth, unfurling like a flower. The familiarity and comfort it brought had Minato curling back up on his bed, dragging the covers up.

 _And you're a bigger monster than the one under the bed?_

" _Much bigger_ ," she assured him. " _And now, that monster knows you're my friend, so they won't bother you anymore._ "

 _Really?_

" _Mhm. But if any others bother you, you let me know, all right?_ "

Minato could only murmur his own agreement as he rapidly started to fall asleep.

Other chuckled. " _Goodnight, Minato._ "

(Later, when Other asked for a name for herself, Minato would look to his books on mythology and think, very hard, for something suitable. He was eight by then, and was much too old to believe in things like monsters that crept under the bed, but even so, he found himself remembering what Other had told him.)

(Maybe she wasn't quite a monster that lived in his head, as he still had doubts no matter how convincing she'd been. But the thought was a comforting one to turn to. To know that he didn't have to fear anything because he had her, monster or not, and she would be there to help him deal with it.)

(So, with all that in mind, he named her "Tamamo".)

(…And, okay, also because he thought it was funny, in its own way. Other had funny reactions to things that surprised her, like "culture shock" or whatever that was.)


	36. Starting Point

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : To be honest, I'm relatively proud of how far this story has gotten in terms of both plot and length, since my other story for _Fire Emblem: Awakening_ has been frozen for a long time at an early part of its plot. I keep trying to write more for it, and am rewriting the chapters I do have, but it's so excruciatingly slow because I have absolutely no motivation for it. I don't want to declare it dead (though admittedly it more or less has been), but it's become a chore trying to return to it…

Anyways, shorter chapter, but two rather significant exchanges occur, setting up for events to come. I tried to think of an extra to tag along to tide you guys over, but I couldn't think of anything fitting. The soundboard says I should offer for you guys to let me know what you might want to see in one for future chapters—can't promise anything, of course, but the offer's still there!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Six  
**

* * *

Minato knelt before Koromaru, lifting a hand to brush his fingers through the soft fur on the shiba inu's head.

Red eyes stared attentively up at him. Pointed ears angled forward, alert.

"It's now or never, Koromaru," Minato murmured. "Help me out?"

Koromaru barked. It sounded like "Of course!"

* * *

" _So is there no way we can at least try to talk to Shinjiro?" Minato asked, frowning. "Ken's side kind of alarms me. One wrong word and we could shoot the whole plan to hell."_

" _The thing about Shinjiro is that he pretty much doesn't care about his life right now," Tamamo answered wearily. They were situated in Minato's mindscape, at a small and round garden table she'd conjured up near her shallow lake. "Judging by how bad his coughs are, the effects of the suppressants have really done a number on him. It's likely that he thinks he doesn't have much longer to live, so he's putting his all into atoning for his actions, accidental or not, against Ken and his mother."_

" _Then… it's useless?" The words left a bitter taste in Minato's mouth. "He'll just die no matter what?"_

" _Not quite. If he were really too far gone, I don't think even his stubbornness would have kept his condition from getting out. But the fact that he's steadily creeping up on that limit means that he's going to cling very hard to what he believes should be." She tilted her head back, pursing her lips. "There_ is _a scenario in which the event was altered, somewhat. To the point that he didn't die outright but was put into a coma. But even that took the rest of the month to pull off."_

"… _And we don't have that sort of time."  
_

* * *

After retrieving his shoes from his room and slipping them on, Minato went down to the lobby, Koromaru trotting faithfully at his side.

Yukari glanced up as he touched down from the stairs. She tilted her head when she saw him. "Heading out, Minato-kun?"

He dipped his head in confirmation. "Doctor said I could do some light work. Figured I'd take it easy and take Koromaru out for a walk."

"Oh, okay." She looked mildly worried. But then, her lips quirked as she addressed Koromaru, "Make sure he doesn't push himself, all right, Koro-chan?"

An affirmative bark was her reply.

Minato sighed. Was there no faith in him telling his own limits?

Junpei chuckled from his spot on the sofa. He looked… better than the last time Minato had properly seen him. He didn't look quite as lost or as openly hurt, but he was certainly more subdued than his usual outgoing demeanor. "Not taking any chances, eh, Yuka-tan?"

"Not even a little bit," Yukari agreed firmly. "Minato-kun has the worst luck I've ever seen."

" _Amen_ ," Tamamo muttered.

Ignoring Junpei's responding laughter, Minato strode over to the lounge entrance. But midway, he paused deliberately, tossing a glance over to the other occupant in the lounge. "Ken."

The boy's head turned away from the television screen, large eyes blinking in confusion.

Minato glanced down to Koromaru, who merely stared back at him, expectant. "…Did you want to come with?"

Yukari's and Junpei's curiosity all but emanated from the other side of the lounge as Ken's expression morphed into surprise. "Me?"

He felt the urge to shrug, but tamped it down for a more affirmative nod. "Yeah."

Just like when Minato had invited him out to the movies, Ken visibly hesitated for a brief moment before agreeing, hopping out of his chair. He was still in his uniform, so he didn't have to change or retrieve his own shoes, instead bounding right up to where Minato and Koromaru were waiting at the door. When he looked up at the teen, there was a small smile on his face.

Just a little shy, not quite open, but trusting enough.

 _Good,_ Minato found himself thinking as he opened the door and let his two companions pass through before him.

" _Good,_ " his Other agreed.

* * *

" _All right. Then… Ken?"_

" _Is a child, for all that he is more mature than most others his age and able to summon and wield his Persona," Tamamo supplied. "It sounds cruel, but it would be much easier to… manipulate things from his side."_

" _How exactly would we do that?" There was movement in the corner of Minato's eyes and he glanced in its direction out of reflex, blinking when he saw Pharos wander out from a cluster of lilac-colored trees, tracing the trunk of one with a small, pale hand. "Ken's not exactly stupid."_

" _I never said he was," said Tamamo, looking in the same direction he was staring. "Just that it would be easier, relatively speaking. Shinjiro feels he's already hit the bottom and has nothing left to lose, so attempting to break through to change his mind would be like trying to break down a mountain with a pebble. You can be as forceful as you want, but in the end you're just adding to his defenses. He needs to be worn down with time, like a river cutting through stone. But, again, we don't have that sort of time. Not if we want to be more effective._

" _Conversely, Ken has had tragedy in his life, that much is true, but he hasn't reached his limit yet. He hasn't hit that breaking point, where a 'choice' becomes a shield." As if sensing their staring, Pharos looked up and met their gazes. After a moment, he lifted a hand in greeting, if a bit stiffly, like he didn't really know what he was doing. Minato found himself lifting his own hand in return just a split second after Tamamo. "He thinks he has, in the way that children always believe that they know their limits. But he is both stronger and more fragile than he knows… Left alone, he'll be forced to that threshold and will make his choice. But until then, he's malleable."_

 _Minato lowered his head in thought. Listened to what his Other was saying and, more importantly,_ wasn't _saying. "In other words, you want to throw stones in a glass house."_

 _Tamamo sighed. "It's ugly, but… yes."  
_

* * *

Naganaki Shrine wasn't far from the dorm by any means, but it also wasn't quite close enough for the casual walk that this was meant to be. Still, Minato guided his little group there, thinking up a number of excuses to use if Ken asked why they'd gone so far when Minato should still be taking it easy. Luckily for him, Ken said nothing and actually seemed at ease on the shrine grounds as they reached the top of the stairs. Koromaru was, too, but that was a given considering his attachment to the place through his previous owner.

Minato sat on a bench to the side as he let Koromaru loose (carefully avoiding the bench he'd usually sat with Akinari on, out of respect). Ken seemed to debate as to what to do for a moment before joining him.

They watched Koromaru wander around the shrine for several minutes before Minato spoke up, trying to emulate Tamamo's casual serenity. "You know, I haven't really had the chance to ask this since everything's been so hectic lately, but how've you been holding up?"

"Huh?" Ken blinked. "Me? Um… why do you ask?"

Minato lifted one shoulder in an almost careless shrug. "Like I said, things have been hectic. You just came to the dorm one day and got dragged into all this craziness…" He felt a nudge from Tamamo and listened to it, giving a small, self-deprecating smile. "I know I don't talk much in the way of check-ins with you and the others after fighting." He usually looked them over by sight for the more egregious wounds and conditions, trusting them to alert him of anything else. "But after getting that head injury… I figured I'd ask."

"Oh… Well, I'm okay," Ken mumbled. "It's not so bad, you know. I can handle it."

"Yeah, you're pretty mature like that," Minato agreed. Another nudge from Tamamo. "I mean, I don't think I could handle what we do when I was your age." Hell, he could hardly deal with it _now_. "Just thinking about it is kind of crazy."

The younger boy looked up at him a little doubtfully. "I guess…"

He chuckled, a brief but genuine little thing before he segued into the part he was more leery about. The part that Tamamo had reluctantly coached him on, apologizing even as she tried to justify the need for it. "It's true. I mean… I guess you could say that I can… sympathize, in a way."

"What do you mean?" Ken asked quietly. His tone was a bit flat, enough that Minato couldn't tell whether he was suspicious or simply being tactful.

Minato kept up a smile—" _It's disarming,_ " Tamamo had said—though it was a rather sad excuse for one. "My parents… they died in an accident when I was little. About six, I think. So I remember how it felt, being young and fighting my own demons and the rest of the world at the same time. Maybe not so literally, but similar."

* * *

 _There was silence as he contemplated her words. As she warned him, the base of the idea sounded horrible in the attack-on-his-morals kind of way. If he chose to agree to try to carry it out, it would be him throwing the proverbial stones, picking away at a kid's weakness and tragic backstory in order to make him crack. He could be as kind as he wanted, but in the end it was all the same._

 _But if it saved Shinjiro, if it saved Ken himself from staining his hands or suffering further mental trauma from having someone die for or because of him, then… would it be worth it?_

" _I don't think we need to be so direct," Tamamo said slowly, interrupting his thoughts. She'd likely felt the feedback of his emotions and chose to interject. "You won't need to attack him straight on. Just… implant ideas, I suppose. Redirect him from his revenge. Guide him to a different line of thought."_

" _How would I do that?" Minato asked, genuinely curious. He wanted to make it work. Had to. But he didn't know exactly how he could._

" _Kids are… Children think differently compared to adults," Tamamo began slowly. "They have different needs. Ken might act like a mini adult, might be a little jaded from his mother's murder, but I think people forget he's still only ten or eleven years old. He needs… attention. Affirmation. The police were given an explanation for his mother's death, and told him it was his imagination when he saw Shinjiro's Persona. That's damaging for a child. So I think… If you give him a reason to consider you trustworthy enough to talk to, let him know that you'll_ hear _him if he does… I think he'll talk. Especially now, as it gets closer to the anniversary."_

" _Can we be sure, though? What would make him talk to me now when he didn't in that other timeline?"_

" _Well, in the original, neither you nor the other members of SEES had any real reason to think that anything was wrong… not enough to confront him. Akihiko and Mitsuru knew about his mother, I think, and Shinjiro has obviously never thought of anything but that day… but, like I said, Shinjiro's fixated on atoning for what he did. And I don't think Akihiko and Mitsuru realized just how stubborn and frayed both he and Ken were."_

 _Minato grimaced. He could see that all too easily. Ken, for his part, didn't act like anything was out of the ordinary. He was a little withdrawn, sure, and maybe a bit stressed at times, but nothing that called for attention. He didn't avoid Shinjiro overtly, working with him even in Tartarus. If Tamamo hadn't told him, Minato would definitely have missed everything until it was too late. "So I… talk to him? Let him know he can talk to me about anything?"_

" _Not as such," Tamamo said. "He won't like being handled with kiddie gloves, since he'll probably figure out you haven't extended the same courtesy to everyone else. But if you frame it right, play on the idea that it's not his age that has you concerned but something else, then he might be more amenable."_

" _And your idea for that is…?"_

 _His Other gave a wan smile. "Well, he's not the only one with a tragic backstory involving parents being killed during the Dark Hour."  
_

* * *

"I guess I just want you to know that I get it, at least somewhat," Minato continued. "How people don't really expect you to understand a lot of things since you're just a kid. Or that you aren't as affected because they think you don't understand…" Tamamo whispered something, and he relayed her words after a brief pause, "…That life's rough no matter what age you are, and living's a hell of a lot more difficult than how they make it out to be."

Ken stared at him. If he could have, Minato would have stared at his Other in turn, as that last bit was a lot more bitter than what they'd initially agreed on divulging.

But Tamamo said nothing, and eventually Ken looked away, a complicated expression on his face. He didn't mention the last part of Minato's rambling, instead returning to an earlier part. "An accident, huh? Did they tell you what happened?"

In the back of his head, Tamamo muttered something that sounded a lot like " _I knew it_."

Minato ignored her for now, tilting his head slightly. "The official report was that it was a car accident," he said carefully, watching the younger boy's expression. "For the longest time, all I could really remember was my dad driving us home late at night and then waking up in the hospital."

Ken's brows furrowed. "…Do you remember something else now?"

Minato nodded slowly and divulged, like a secret, "I can't remember it clearly, but it was during the Dark Hour. I know that now. I was conscious briefly for it and the car had been fine when it started, but then I passed out sometime during it. When I woke up again, I was already in the hospital and both my parents were dead. The police said that the car had been totaled and went up in flames."

It left a bad taste in his mouth to use his parents' deaths in such a way, but he had to believe they'd forgive him if it meant saving two of his friends. There was no way to tell its immediate effect, but with the way Ken's eyes widened, likely taking all of the details he'd left out and supplementing them with his own, he couldn't help but think that he'd succeeded in moving a step towards that.

* * *

That night, after the trio returned to the dorm in thoughtful silence and Minato turned in after admitting he'd been more tired out by the walk than he thought he would be, Tamamo sat by her shallow lake in Minato's mindscape, deep in her own thoughts.

Minato's exchange with Ken had gone relatively well, all things considered. Ken appeared to have genuinely taken his words to heart. He hadn't even seemed all that suspicious of their little personal chat.

Perhaps it was the effect of their little morning get-togethers that helped on that front. With Minato willingly watching cartoons and shows otherwise labeled as "For Kids" without being patronizing and even actually being interested in them (even the movies, though Tamamo _still_ did not understand Amoebaman), Ken knew he wouldn't judge him for however he acted. Combined with how Minato didn't coddle him or otherwise look out for him more than any of the other members of SEES while in battle, it probably gave Ken a greater knowledge of Minato's sense of fairness.

That if he chose you to go, it was because he felt your power was needed. That if he didn't, it wasn't because he doubted your strength, but because he was being practical and wouldn't risk your life when someone better suited was around. And that when he spoke, whether to give orders or simple advice, he wanted you to listen and trust him, but only because he would listen to and trust you in return.

More often than not, Tamamo wondered if that was the true power of the Wild Card, that charisma, or if the Wild Card was simply bestowed upon those who already possessed it.

Long ago, the faint beginnings of that trait had scared Tamamo. He hadn't even signed the contract for the Wild Card yet, but he'd already begun to show traces of stepping behind numerous personalities to get through his days. She'd feared that he would lose himself. Feared that he would become the empty vessel his game counterpart was known for being, and that he would simply allow himself to be pushed and molded in the image of other people forever.

But he hadn't. Rather than getting lost between the myriad masks that his Personas resembled, he took them all into himself. He accepted them, accepted that he would act a certain way with a certain person but not with someone else. Yet, at the same time, he subconsciously understood that beyond those masks he was still himself. That at his core he was Minato, but that, just as in battle, he would sometimes have to shift and adjust as necessary.

A true Wild Card, always adapting.

"It _is_ rather amazing, isn't it?" Pharos's airy voice spoke up from beside her.

Tamamo glanced to her side, where Pharos materialized to sit barely a foot away. Then, fixing her gaze back to the distance, she hummed in agreement. "He is."

"Alone, he would be perfect," Pharos continued. "A blank slate. A white canvas. Pure. Waiting to be turned into something great."

The perfect Wild Card. The perfect vessel.

The perfect sacrifice.

A wry smile twisted at her lips and she leaned back, propping herself up with one hand as she turned to regard Pharos. He peered back up at her, curious. Always curious.

"If there's one thing I learned way back in my old life, when I wasn't much older than Minato is now, it's that perfection is highly overrated," she drawled. Then, pausing, she amended, "Well, actually, what I really learned to say was 'Fuck perfect', but that's kind of the same thing."

Pharos tilted his head. "But don't humans strive for perfection?"

"Some do," Tamamo allowed. "But I've always thought of that as a bit of a game for masochists. 'Perfect' is a word with a clear definition but with an execution that's significantly less precise. You can achieve something you think is perfect one day, only for something better, more perfect, to come along the next. And even then, the concept of perfection is still highly subjective—what one person finds perfect can be seen as highly flawed or incomplete by another. And so the cycle is never-ending."

The boy Death's eyebrows furrowed. It was rather cute. "So you believe it is better for him to be… not perfect?"

"…Yes? No? Maybe so," Tamamo replied, which only made his brows scrunch further. She smiled. "I'm only one person, Pharos. Even if I said yes, that's just my belief. My opinion. Someone else could disagree. Free will and speech is funny like that."

"It is very confusing," Pharos agreed slowly. "But… I believe I understand. I'm not sure what he would have been like had he been alone and perfect, but I…"

There was a long pause as he pieced together his thoughts. Tamamo waited, feeling strangely expectant.

Like something big was about to occur.

When Pharos remained quiet, the tilt of his brow taking a vaguely concerned edge, she gently prompted, "But you…?"

"I…" He blinked up at her. Then, plaintive, he said, "I believe I… like… it this way."

She froze for half a second before recovering. "You… prefer how things are now to what could have been?"

Pharos visibly thought, considering the new wording. Then, he nodded. "Yes. I do. Had he been alone, I don't think we could have become friends… like this." He smiled. "And I would not have met you."

And Tamamo's mind whirled, for that smile was unlike any of the others he had given before.

Those expressions that had tried to imitate the characteristics of emotionality, but fell just short of it. Those smiles that had been far too stiff and unpracticed, trying to pick up the nuances behind a smile but not knowing quite how.

No. His smile now—gentle, kind, _human_ —completely eclipsed any other he'd displayed previously.

Because in that smile, she knew, was the birth of Ryoji Mochizuki.


	37. Lost Children

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : Starting this chapter, almost as always, with an apology for the wait and a sincere "thank you" for your patience! The blame for the wait this time, however, lies mostly with Soundboard-kun. Why? Because he started up a mostly "what if?" session for future plot points and came across a divergent path that made us sit up and go " _whoa_ ". So we built up on it a bit, really liked what came out of it, and so built it up _more_. Ultimately, we were really torn about whether or not to implement it, as it would change up more than a few things not only later on down the road, but some things starting right around _now_.

Needless to say, we decided to tackle the challenge of overhauling because we felt you guys would like the new road better (well, for people who happen to like or at least don't mind Ryoji, at least). Thanks to real world obligations and other assorted inconveniences, it took up until very recently of a lot of back and forth bickering to get it to where we could say we can proceed again and fill in whatever blanks were still left as we went. Hopefully it was all worth it. We'll see when we get to it!

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven  
**

* * *

Over the course of the next week, Minato continued to subtly prod Ken while making it look completely natural with Tamamo's advice. Making eye contact accidentally-on-purpose in passing at the dorm, just to give a friendly smile before going to hang out with Junpei. A nod of acknowledgment when sitting in or entering the lounge. Occasionally asking after his day, just enough to display care but not enough to sound overbearing. Little things, to remind the boy of Minato's words and that he was really there rather than just paying lip service.

" _Of course_ ," Tamamo said wryly, " _generally this is what people do_ normally _as the bare minimum level of social interaction…_ "

Minato ignored the jab to his social skills with grace, though that didn't stop his Other from snickering.

But that wasn't all he was doing after his recovery. After all, he wanted to keep things natural, so a lot of the time outside of his occasional interactions with Ken, he was focusing on other things. One was keeping Junpei sufficiently occupied, subtly letting _him_ know Minato was around to chat with and otherwise giving him another, healthier, outlet for his confusion over Chidori's betrayal than just sulking.

He also kept an eye out for Shinjiro and his health. The older boy was good at hiding it, though. Or perhaps everyone was just absorbed in their day-to-day activities and worrying about Tartarus and the Shadows that they simply didn't notice, and so Shinjiro chose to act normally so as not to distract them. Both scenarios were sad in their own ways, but Minato resolved to keep a closer eye on him.

Tamamo had said that he wasn't so far gone, but it was… difficult. Shinjiro was brusque and rude and hard to approach overall, but Minato had been on the receiving end of his rough kindness before, and had seen and heard his low-key fretting mixed into insults and bursts of annoyance. For all that he hadn't believed his Other when she first spoke of Shinjiro's softer side, Minato knew it was there—just buried deep.

To lose that… To lose any of the members of SEES and their varied quirks… He didn't want to see that happen.

( _I don't want to die. I want to survive. I want to live and the others to live and is that really so selfish to ask for? Don't let me lose this, too…_ )

There were so many things going on that he was very slightly terrified of how the month would end.

Was he doing enough?

What else could he be doing?

Was he succeeding at what he _was_ doing?

But as the questions continued to rise up, threatening to overwhelm him, Tamamo soothed him, her presence cradling his mind close. It was different from before, however. Before, when his negative emotions bubbled up to the surface, she had shielded him. Blunted it and let it vanish like a half-forgotten memory.

Now, when those same emotions swelled up like a cresting wave, she let it be. Her presence remained close, holding him steady as it crashed down around him. An unwavering pillar of support.

(Later, he would ask and she would tell him that it had been a mistake of hers, sheltering him in such a way. She hadn't wanted to see him in pain over anything, and so in an effort to not be useless had shielded him from such experiences. But that had only caused him trouble when he'd blocked her, nearly broke him because he'd never had to deal with such emotions before. Not for long. So now she let him be, and simply weathered through it with him.)

" _I won't tell you not to worry,_ " Tamamo said, " _because I'm worried, too. But you have to know that you're doing your best. I can see that. Anyone that paid attention would see that._ "

He didn't reply.

" _No matter what happens in the end, Minato, remember that you're doing your best. That you're only human and so you can only do so much._ " He felt her warmth then, all gentle sunlight and the comfort of home. " _I can't promise you that everything will be all right. But we'll get through it. One way or another, we will._ "

* * *

(It began, ironically enough, completely on accident.)

With his mind full of worries and half-baked plans, Minato found that he couldn't sleep more often than not. Not on his own. Tamamo could help him more often than not, especially now that any scares from his head injury had faded away, but they both agreed that it was better for him to try to fall asleep on his own.

So, it was on a particularly sleepless night that Minato left his room to boil some tea again in the kitchen. The domestic action helped keep his mind occupied, at least for a while, and the tea was good for soothing his nerves.

But as he made his way into the kitchen, he stopped short when he found Shinjiro bracing himself over the sink, one hand clamped over his mouth. The older boy's body heaved and jerked under the force of the suppressed coughs, but, though he clearly knew Minato was there by the way his eyes opened briefly and met his, he couldn't seem to stop the fit.

Caught completely off guard, Minato stood, frozen, at the entrance of the kitchen, watching with wide eyes. He didn't move even when Shinjiro's coughing fit finally subsided, gaze latching on to the blood mixed with spit lingering on Shinjiro's palm until the upperclassman quickly washed it away.

" _Minato…_ "

Jolting out of his daze, Minato blurted out the first thing he could think of. "How long has this been happening?"

Shinjiro looked at him. His expression was calm enough, but the shift in his jaw betrayed his own inner tension.

"You…" Minato faltered. It was one thing to know intellectually that Shinjiro was suffering, and another thing to hear it, muffled, through a door. But it was a completely different story to see it without any barriers, to see the pain clearly displayed on his face and the way his body tried to hold itself together for just a little longer. "That's… The blood…"

There was a snort, and then Shinjiro turned on the tap again to rinse out his mouth. When he spat the water out again, he wiped his mouth clean and said, "It's none of your business."

"W—What?"

"It's none of your business," Shinjiro repeated. He looked over then, gaze cutting into Minato's. "All right?"

"I…" Minato began, but the upperclassman's expression was unmoving. Stubborn. Briefly, Minato realized how correct Tamamo had been about Shinjiro's attitude. There would be no give. Not enough. Not in time.

Helplessly, but mind working overtime as he added to and threw out more plans, he nodded. Deliberately saying nothing about what, exactly, he was nodding _for_.

If he couldn't find any way to use this encounter to his advantage, then that would be that. But if he could, then he could truthfully say that he had never actually agreed to anything if he were found out. Acknowledged, sure. But outright agreement would do him little good when it could literally mean the difference between life and death for his friends.

Even if the people he was helping wouldn't thank him for it.

* * *

"You're doing your best," Tamamo spoke up, breaking the silence of their stroll through his mindscape. Or his stroll, at least. He'd dove in to get away and think for a while, and hadn't paid much attention to where he was going or when his Other showed up to join him. "As inconvenient as it is, we have to take into account that what we do will always run the chance of clashing with what choices other people make."

"I know," Minato said. The last operation was pretty much proof of that. "But I still have to do something."

Something else. Something more.

 _Something_.

He felt Tamamo's gaze on him and he met her eyes readily, the red and blue-colored irises a little unnerving, but comforting nonetheless in their familiarity. When she blinked, returning from whatever train of thought she'd embarked on, he smiled. And she returned it, if a bit wearily.

"All right," she said, nodding. "We've given Ken time to act, to say something, but he hasn't yet. So we'll…"

Minato blinked slowly. "'We'll'…?"

For a moment, she seemed to hesitate, frowning at the ground. But then, with a little huff, she looked up again, giving him a helpless shrug. "We'll just have to _make_ him move."

* * *

It was a strange twist of fate that Ken finally ended up approaching Minato after returning to the dorm from school, asking if they could talk. On one hand, Minato was glad for it, as it meant that the plan Tamamo had been concocting might not need to be used, which meant there would be less trauma. Probably. On the other hand, he felt wary of what the evening had in store. The month was already a little over half over, which meant that time was running out.

Thus, it was a familiar scene that found Minato kneeling in front of Koromaru in the mini-lounge on the boy's floor of the dorm. Steadying himself and his nerves as best he could before he went downstairs to meet Ken. Gazing seriously into red eyes, he said, "I'm probably going to do something terrible, Koromaru. But will you still help me?"

The shiba inu cocked his head to the side, ears perked up. Attentive. Picking up the mood in the way only an animal could and reacting to that energy. He whined, ears swiveling back slightly.

"Yeah, I don't like it either," Minato said, expression grim. "But I can't just let things go, you know? I might not…" He stopped, throat tightening. Deep breath. "I might not be able to… change what happens to me in the end, but I… I still want to try to help what I _can_ change."

If he was really meant to die in the end, then he wanted to leave behind a legacy he could be proud of. Wanted to know he'd helped others to the best of his ability, beyond what had been expected of him. He wanted to be remembered by his friends and loved ones not for dying to become the Great Seal and protecting them in death, but for what he'd done while he lived.

Maybe it was a bit of a losing battle. He was only one person. Just a high school student. But that was how he felt, all the same.

Koromaru barked, bringing him back to the present. Blinking, Minato smiled and lifted a hand to rub the dog's head, scratching lightly at the base of his ears.

After another quick breath, he stood and headed for the stairs, Koromaru padding along behind him. "All right, then. Let's go."

* * *

The path to the Naganaki Shrine was a familiar one, which made it feel incredibly short. Still, Minato followed after his two companions, steadying his nerves as he climbed up the steps after Ken. At the top, he found Koromaru waiting, sitting on his haunches, looking over his two human teammates in an almost speculative manner. Minato patted his head and ushered him off, silently thanking him for the support as he walked over to the benches with Ken following suit.

" _Don't say anything,_ " Tamamo told him as they sat down. " _He asked to talk, so let him feel he has control over the conversation. He'll speak more freely if he does. Be attentive and respond only when he prompts you to._ "

 _Right_ , Minato thought, but it was easier said than done. For all that he was used to keeping quiet, doing so purposefully in such an awkward, heavy silence was difficult. It didn't help that he noticed that Ken seemed to be struggling to put his thoughts to words.

It was only when Minato began to dread that the evening would be a failure that the younger boy finally spoke. "Last time we were out… you said your parents died when you were little. During the Dark Hour?"

Minato nodded, keeping his mouth tactfully shut, when Ken glanced towards him.

"And the police told you it was an accident?"

Again, Minato nodded.

The younger boy stared at him for a moment longer before averting his gaze. His brows furrowed and he swallowed once, twice, before asking, "Were they… were they sure?"

Sure?

"…Of what?" Minato asked carefully.

"The police," Ken began as he looked up again. "I mean… The people who told you that—that your parents were dead. Were they really sure that it wasn't—that it was just an accident?"

Ten years was a long time to try to remember what was said during a time that Minato had tried so desperately long throughout his childhood to put behind him. But still Minato tried anyway, as such a response would get him nowhere in this conversation.

Of course, he had Tamamo for when his memories eluded him.

" _The officials said they found you outside of the wreckage of your parents' car,_ " she informed him. " _Given the state of the vehicle, all evidence at the time pointed towards it being a freak car accident, Dark Hour aside._ "

He relayed the information to Ken, who frowned.

"But what if it wasn't?" he asked in a low voice. His dark eyes sparked with something insistent. Desperate. "What if it _wasn't_ an accident? What if they were killed— _murdered_ —by someone else?"

Tamamo made a low sound, but otherwise didn't contribute, leaving it to Minato to think up a reply. He considered the boy's words, considered the circumstances behind them and the "what ifs" he was trying to impress upon him. But, in the end, he could think of only one reply, "Then they'd still be dead."

Displeasure pulled at the corners of Ken's mouth and the boy glared, body tensing as if gearing up for a fight. "But it'd be different! It wouldn't be an accident! There'd be a killer out there and—and wouldn't you want to do something about it?"

 _Ah_ , Minato thought with dawning realization. _So that's why he wanted to talk._

Ken wanted to use the point of similarity in their pasts to drive a point forward. He wanted Minato to be his voice. To reflect the thoughts that had circulated throughout his mind since his mother's unfortunate death. Her murder.

It wasn't a bearing of souls but rather a desire for justification.

He wanted to be told he was _right_.

But Minato couldn't tell him that, and instead had to find a way to deter him.

So, he took a page from Tamamo's book of confusing and cryptic answers and said, "Yes… and no."

The triumph that flashed across Ken's face quickly faded into frustrated confusion. "…What?"

"If my parents had been murdered—" and they had been, if not quite in the way Ken expected, "—then I would want their killer to be found and be held accountable. I think anyone would in that situation."

"And if no one else would do it?" Ken asked accusingly. "If no one else believed you when you said they were killed by someone? Wouldn't you do something then?"

" _It's not that simple…_ "

"I don't think it's that simple," Minato said, so very nearly at the same time as his Other that it surprised him for a moment, wondering if, perhaps, she'd somehow spoken through him. "Besides, I was really young then. Only six. I'd barely been able to remember the accident back then let alone a possible killer."

"But if you _did_?" Ken pressed. "If you knew who the killer was and if you _could_ do something, even if you were a kid, wouldn't you?"

There was something so very sad about the boy's relentless pursuit of the subject. He was so certain in his stance, had been so dedicated to it in the other timeline that he'd gone through with it to the bitter and tragic end.

And yet, when given the chance, he'd still gone to ask Minato if the path was right.

Children needed attention, Tamamo had said. They needed affirmation.

Ken had lost that when his mother was killed. And then he had been told by the police that what he'd seen of her death wasn't true, even though he'd witnessed it firsthand. He'd lived with that knowledge, the sting of that rejection, for two years and, although he barely knew Minato, hardly had any reason to turn to him for anything… he still went and asked for that support.

It was a daunting thought, to be given that sort of regard. The weight of that trust felt heavier than the dependence SEES placed on him in battle.

And just as he did upon learning the weight of that responsibility, he took a deep breath, shoved all his thoughts and worries aside, and focused on what was important _now_.

"I wouldn't," he said, voice strong and clear. His "Leader" voice, as Tamamo liked to tease.

Was he resentful for what he knew now to have happened to his parents? Yes, of course. It was hard not to be, especially when it was what got him into this whole situation in the first place. But it had never crossed his mind to go over that threshold, to immerse himself fully in that anger and lose himself to hatred. It had never crossed his mind to want _revenge_ , for his parents or even for himself.

Ken looked at him, eyes muddled with incomprehension. Then, he shot to his feet, anger thundering across his face. "But _why not_? If you knew their killer, then why wouldn't you do something?! I mean, why would you just let the killer go like that?" His voice went high with desperation. "Even if no one believes you, your mom was—your parents were still killed and you _saw_ _it_ , so you'd have to do it on your own or… or the killer goes free… You'd _have_ to get him back and… and make him pay for what he did… wouldn't you?"

Minato waited patiently as the boy ranted himself out, feeling Tamamo's heart ache in time with his. When Ken's voice trailed off, he asked, very gently, "And then what?"

"H—Huh?"

"Revenge for revenge's sake is one thing," Minato explained, drawing on all the practice he had from leading expeditions into Tartarus to keep his voice calm and assertive, "but what about afterwards? Say that I did do something. Confronted their killer, made him pay like you said, and avenged their deaths… In the end, they'd still be dead, wouldn't they? I wouldn't be any happier. If anything, I think I'd just be even more miserable."

"I…" Ken's fists clenched as he averted his gaze. "But that's…"

Something clicked in Minato's mind then, and he knew by the spark of realization that Tamamo had had a similar thought. The memory of several nights ago drifted to the forefront, and though he hated himself for even considering it, he knew he could use it now.

"Besides," he spoke aloud before he could back down from it, "there's a chance it would just be a hollow victory anyway."

The young brunet looked like he almost didn't want to hear it, but he was compelled to inquire anyway. "…What do you mean?"

"Well, if their killer happened to be just a Shadow, then that's self-explanatory. There wouldn't be much use getting revenge against a creature that doesn't really understand the concept of murder." Not that Pharos was _just_ anything. But the principle still applied. "Otherwise… it's been ten years. A person could forget what happened easily in that time. Revenge would be meaningless against someone who couldn't even remember enough of what they'd done. It's… also possible that that person is already dead or dying."

"But what if you know he remembers?" Ken muttered. "And that he's not dead or dying?"

"You can't always know that," Minato said gently, pretending to ignore the specific pronouns the younger boy used. Inwardly, his mind was racing. "Sometimes people have bad conditions or illnesses that they might not even know about. Even people that seem healthy on the outside. Like…"

For a while, silence filled the space between them. But eventually Ken looked up at him. Weary, a little betrayed, but still curious. "Like…?"

Minato felt a pang at the look he received, but managed a small, if painful, smile. He'd known what he was getting into, and knew what other confidences he would break in the next few moments. "Like Senpai."

Alarm quickly filled the younger boy's face, color leaching out of his already pale skin. "S—Senpai? Which…?"

It was easy to pretend to interpret the expression as concern. Still, Minato ducked his head and hunched his shoulders almost defensively. Bracing himself. "It's… It's Aragaki-senpai."

There was an ominous silence.

" _Keep going,_ " Tamamo said quickly, " _give him more details. Hurry!_ "

"You can't tell anyone," Minato rushed to get out in response. "I just… I saw him the other night. He was… It looked like he was in a lot of pain. I thought maybe he was just sick and had a really bad cough, but… he coughed out blood."

"No…" Ken's voice trembled. "That's… That's not…"

Minato shrugged helplessly, once more pretending to read Ken's reaction differently. "I don't know how bad it is, but… it looked bad."

Whether the boy knew it or not, he was shaking his head and taking small steps back. Minato cautiously rose from the bench after him, but the moment he stood up Ken bolted like a frightened deer.

"I have to go!" he shouted as he dashed across the shrine grounds.

"Ken!" Minato called, but the boy took no heed, continuing straight down the staircase. Cursing, Minato ran after him. "Koromaru!"

The shiba inu barked from somewhere off to the side and behind him, and there was a scraping noise of paws and claws hitting the ground before Koromaru quickly caught up.

"Go with Ken!" Minato ordered as he started down the stairs. Ken was already more than halfway down. "Stay with him!"

Koromaru barked again as if in affirmation before bounding away, catching up to the younger boy with enviable ease. They reached the street and Ken seemed to flounder for a moment when the streetlight barred him from crossing. But it changed as Minato was still descending, and both the boy and dog crossed over with other stragglers of the evening, leaving him behind.

Reaching the bottom step, Minato hoped that Ken was heading back to the dorm as much as he dreaded what would occur there should the boy run into Shinjiro so soon after the shocking news. But if he didn't and went elsewhere, then at least he wouldn't be alone should the Dark Hour fall before Minato could get the others suitably informed and ready to search.

But _God_ , this was looking bad!

" _You can say that again,_ " Tamamo said, her voice cutting through the chaotic mess of his thoughts. " _Though I'd say it's more likely for Ken to go to the dorm—he's a rather quiet and private boy so he won't go out when he's upset. And if he does want to throw down, he doesn't know where Shinjiro hangs out at this time, while it's more or less guaranteed Shinjiro will return to the dorm eventually._ "

 _That's not helping!_

" _Only because you need to calm down_ ," she said sternly. " _Yes, it's bad, but I don't think it's as bad as it could be._ "

 _How do you figure that?_ Minato asked as he shifted impatiently, waiting for the light to change again. _Because that looked really bad to me!_

" _If you think about it, Ken ultimately_ retreated _. He didn't lash out at you even if he didn't like what you said,_ " she reasoned." _He's still thinking, which is good. It's when people_ stop _thinking that things tend to go wrong._ "

Minato found himself starting to relax a bit more despite himself. He rolled his shoulders to loosen up the tension in his muscles a bit as he crossed the street, steadily picking up the pace again. _But too much thinking can be a bad thing, can't it?_

He would know. And so would she, for that matter.

" _Too much of anything can be a bad thing,_ " Tamamo conceded. " _For now, just head back to the dorm and we'll see what Ken chose to do. We'll pick our next move then._ "

* * *

The final steps into the dorm had never been as foreboding as that moment as Minato quickly climbed up, heart pounding. He took a moment to brace himself before opening the door.

"Ah! There he is!" Yukari's voice rang out the moment he crossed the threshold. To his relief, it seemed that only she and Junpei were currently occupying the space, with none of the seniors in sight (and, hopefully, the building). "Minato-kun!"

"Dude, what happened?" Junpei asked from the couch, sounding bewildered. "Ken burst in a while ago with Koromaru and just ran up to his room. Slammed the door and everything! Did you guys have a fight or something?"

Minato cringed. "…Or something."

A part of him wanted to sag in relief, however small. Ken was likely a mess, but at least he was in the dorm.

"Oh no, Ken-kun comes in like that—there's way more than just 'or something'!" Yukari crossed the lounge floor to stand in front of Minato, folding her arms over her chest. Her signature glare was fixed on her face. "You've got to give us more information than _that_. So spill, mister!"

Minato cast a glance at Junpei, who provided no help whatsoever beyond a wide-eyed look, a shrug, and a hand gesture with a meaning that was entirely lost on him. "Um…"

Tamamo whispered a quick excuse, and Minato gladly latched onto it.

"It's not really my place to say," he said apologetically. "At least not right now. It's up to Ken."

That seemed to get to both of the other teens. Yukari's posture loosened.

"You sure?" she asked, brows furrowed uncertainly. "You'd tell us if it was something really big, right?"

"We might not be much help, but we could probably do _something_ ," Junpei chipped in. Then, he gave a lopsided grin. "Like how we helped Yuka-tan back in Yakushima! What'd you call it, man? Team bonding or something?"

"More like a pity party," Yukari muttered. "But seriously, Minato-kun. If you need help or anything… well, we're here, y'know?"

That… That was different.

Not an unpleasant difference, but certainly… different.

Minato blinked, but the warmth that spread at the offer was genuine. "I know." And he did, even though there were a good many secrets he was still keeping from them all, save perhaps Fuuka. "I'll tell you when I can, so…"

Yukari nodded, looking relieved. "We'll be here." She shot a look to the side. " _Right_ , Stupei?"

"Yep!" Junpei chirped. And then frowned. "Hey! I told you to stop calling me that!"

"Oh, did you?"

"Yuka-tan!"

"Tell me again what grade you got after we all did _all that studying together_?"

"Oh, c'mon! Will you let that die already!?"

"We did lightning rounds just to get the information drilled into your thick head and you go and throw it away!"

The bickering was much more familiar and Minato couldn't help but smile as he let it chase him up the stairs, but it soon fell as he saw Koromaru sitting diligently in front of the door to Ken's room. Standing at the mini-lounge, he called quietly for the shiba inu and knelt when the dog approached, alternately rubbing and petting his head in gratitude.

"Thank you. It wasn't necessary in the end, but I felt a lot better knowing you'd be with him if it was needed," he murmured, eyes drifting to Ken's door.

Koromaru whined, lowering his head and moving closer to butt it against Minato's chest.

Sighing, Minato rubbed down the shiba inu's back and side. "Yeah. Looks like I ended up saying something bad after all…"


	38. Confrontation

**Disclaimer** : I do not own _Persona 3_ —or any version of the _Persona_ series, really. I just own this rather shameless piece of work.

 **Other Notes** : I forgot to mention this, but just as a note, _Symbiosis_ will more or less not be including _Persona Q_. Not actively, at least. Sorry, but honestly people who have played through to the end of _PQ_ basically understand why, right? Other than offhand references, I'd say to not expect anything big. Our protagonists have a bit of a bigger problem to focus on, after all. (If anyone would _really_ like to see anything specific, though, feel free to ask and I'll try to add it in an Extra sometime!)

That said, this was a pretty difficult chapter to write, which is partially why it took a while to update (to make a point, there are six different versions of this chapter alone of varying lengths and beginnings and endings). It's pretty short, but it's also pretty heavy (with some bittersweet scenes with Orpheus to sort of soften(?) the blow), so I opted to err on the side of caution in terms of length.

Also, age of majority in Japan was 20 for a long time, only changing to 18 in 2015, if I recall correctly. As _Persona 3_ takes place in 2009, Shinjiro is still referred to as a minor despite being 18.

* * *

 _ **Symbiosis**_

 **Chapter Thirty-Eight  
**

* * *

Minato's mindscape was always dark, though it was darker whenever he slept, the usual "window" to the outside world closed. There'd never really been a need for light, as there hadn't really been much to see that she hadn't conjured herself until recently, but there was a certain level of comfort in sitting quietly in the ever-growing starlit forest. The ethereal light emitted from the water of "her lake", as Minato put it, was also rather nice.

She lounged by that pool now, humming as she idly drew designs along the surface of the water. The times when Minato was resting were a bit boring, but she'd grown used to it over the years. In fact, this year in particular she cherished the downtime. Even if it only consisted of a few hours before he had to face another day full of tension with her mediocre support, it was better than watching him run himself ragged.

" **That is new,** " a familiar voice spoke, drawing her away from her thoughts. She craned her neck from where she lay on the mini island to see Orpheus hovering some several feet away from her. Thankfully, as he neared he lowered himself slightly, not quite to the floor, but floating much closer to her level as he sat in midair. " **Does your song have a name?** "

She had to think for a moment to recapture the tune, as she'd been humming rather thoughtlessly. But she nodded. "It's called 'Somewhere over the Rainbow'. My cousins and I used to play and sing it together a lot way back when… It was one of the first songs we learned to play, actually, since it was relatively simple."

The Persona tilted his head slightly in such a Minato-esque way that she had to smile. " **You play an instrument?** "

"Sort of?" Feeling awkward conversing while lying on her stomach, Tamamo pushed herself to sit up properly. "I learned a bit of the ukulele before, but never really had the interest in anything else."

Orpheus regarded her, face as patiently blank as ever. Tamamo blinked back before suddenly remembering who Orpheus _was_ , Persona aside. Embarrassment flooded in like water through a broken dam.

"M—My dad was really good at guitar, you see, so I had an interest in trying to follow his footsteps a bit! But, ah, I was always pretty clumsy with my hands, or really just my fingers, in anything but, like, cooking s—so I didn't really have good coordination for most instruments! The ukulele was really nice, though, since it was pretty small, I mean. I had an easier time handling it…" Her voice dwindled into a sheepish mumble towards the end. "I was mostly just a singer in my family…"

" **I understand,** " the Master of Strings said kindly. " **I have simply never seen or heard an 'ukulele' before, is all. Would you show me?** "

Tamamo pressed her lips together, knowing that she was pouting but feeling too amused to scowl like she wanted to. "It's been ten years…"

If he'd been any less formal, she suspected he would have shrugged. " **The night is long.** "

"I'm really not all that good," she insisted. "Like I said, clumsy fingers. My cousins were way better."

" **Allow me to judge that for myself.** "

She flopped to the ground again. "Orpheuuuuus…!"

His face may not have been able to produce fully human expressions, but his voice was expressive enough on its own. She could _hear_ him smile through it, tone all but dripping with amusement. " **You could always simply say no.** "

She huffed. "Yeah, sure." Picking herself up again, she held up her hands and closed her eyes, concentrating on the image of her old ukulele to conjure it forth. "Hold on."

When she had the instrument in hand and practiced strumming a small melody, she peeked up though her bangs to see Orpheus watching her curiously. But always so patient.

He'd helped her so much, especially early on when it all began and she'd needed to learn how to utilize what power she could. The other Personas had been there and would answer her if she'd asked them questions, but Orpheus was… special. He was Minato's initial Persona and, through his own admission, somehow partly hers as well. Even when he hadn't really needed to, he answered her call time and time again, and even stayed with her in the mindscape at times as a silent support.

Regardless of whatever he and Minato asked for, the least she could do was try.

Clearing her throat, she eyed the Persona. "Don't laugh, okay?"

Orpheus dipped his head. " **On my honor, I swear I will not.** "

That drew a smile from her and she ducked her head to hide it. "Mhm…" Then, taking a deep breath, she said, "Okay. Here goes…"

And the lilting, if hesitant, tune of a single ukulele filled the clearing.

* * *

After eventually managing to successfully performing the song fully, Orpheus (after obliging her with an applause that made her flush with deep embarrassment) took pity on her and let her stop playing. His verdict on her skill, though…

" **Your father would be proud of you, I'm certain,** " he told her.

His confidence moved her and, though she was sure he was just being nice, she was glad for it even though it made her heart ache with remembered pain.

"He probably would've been more proud if I'd managed to learn to play an actual guitar," she said with a small laugh. She looked down at the ukelele cradled in her hands, running her thumb gently along one curved side. "I could've inherited his, then, rather than let them gather dust."

Not that they wouldn't have gathered dust anyway, what with her being dead and all.

But Orpheus, good and gentle Orpheus, only nodded and let the conversation lapse into silence as she fought to steady her own emotions. There was no real need to hide it, but out of habit she always tried to stem any "episodes" she had that occurred during the night while Minato slept.

(When he'd been younger and she'd had less control, still getting used to her place in his mind, she'd have moments where it hit her, exactly, of what she lost. The first time it'd happened, she'd been swept away in a flood of her own grief and the depth of it had reached Minato and given him a nightmare. He had woken up that night in tears, and had been unable to get a peaceful sleep the rest of the night as her residual sorrow lingered in his mind like a ghost.)

Distantly, she heard Orpheus playing his lyre and closed her eyes, letting herself get swept away in the melody. It was cathartic in its own way, as Orpheus—through Minato's connection to her or some other bond or even his own observations as an artist—managed to capture her mood perfectly in his music. That quiet longing for days gone by, but with a touch of a wistful sort of hope.

Hope for what, though, she didn't know. Not anymore.

"You must've made Eurydice very happy," she murmured as she resurfaced, drawing her legs up to her chest.

There was no pause between notes, no twitch beyond the slight incline of the Persona's head to tell her that her words surprised him. " **…I like to think so.** "

"You did," Tamamo told him, more confidently now. Then, with a wry smile, she added, "You probably broke her heart a thousand times, too, with your music."

The melody slowed to a stop then. In the sudden silence, she could hear the leaves rustle, though there was no wind.

" **Did I break** _ **your**_ **heart?** " Orpheus asked gently.

She stared at the water even as she felt her eyes mist over. Subconsciously, she hugged her legs closer and took a deep breath as she blinked the tears away.

"Maybe a little bit."

* * *

It was by some strange amount of luck that things didn't immediately snap between Ken and Shinjiro following the former's talk with Minato. But the longer the time stretched on with uneasy tension, the more Minato dreaded the inevitable confrontation.

When everything finally boiled over, all of SEES was gathered in the lounge for one reason or another. As if Fate knew the necessity of them all being present for the meltdown.

As it was, Minato sat at the dining table with his fellow juniors, listening to them chat about the typhoon passing over the city and the seemingly endless rain it brought. Junpei lamented the cancellation of the school culture festival (which Minato had honestly forgotten about), while Aigis asked questions of past festivals that Yukari and Fuuka tried their best to answer. In the main lounge area, the three seniors sat at the couches, not quite close enough to huddle, exactly, but near enough to speak in low tones with one another.

The sound of the front door opening made him look out of habit, and he watched as Ken, drenched from the rain, plodded his way in. Some of the others glanced up as well, but outside of a spare worried look at the boy's condition, they seemed to dismiss it and return to their own devices.

Minato held his breath.

For a moment, Ken seemed to ignore them, ignore everything, as he made his way to the stairs. His head was down, shoulders tense, and his steps were even if a little rushed. But he crossed the lounge without incident.

But just as he reached the bottom of the stairs, he stopped.

Out of the corner of his eye, Minato saw Koromaru sit up, ears pricked forward.

Then, Ken turned quickly on his heel and strode back, planting himself firmly before the seniors where they sat. His head was still down, pale hands firmly gripping the straps of his backpack. From the movement of his shoulders, he was taking in deep breaths—and the rest of SEES fell silent as they waited.

"Is it true?"

No one answered, though Minato knew they all heard it despite how low Ken's voice had been. From where he sat, he could see Shinjiro grow still while Mitsuru's brow furrowed.

Eventually, Akihiko, who was mostly turned away from Minato, asked, "…What do you mean?"

Ken ignored him. Slowly, his head rose and he glared directly at Shinjiro. "Well? Is it?"

Shinjiro was remarkably calm as he replied, in as gruff a manner as ever, "You're gonna have to be a little more specific, kid—"

"Don't call me a kid!" Ken snapped, so suddenly and forcefully that Koromaru rose to his feet. To do what, Minato didn't know, but the shiba inu was intensely focused on the growing feud. "Just… Just tell the truth: are you… or are you not really sick? To the point that you're dying from it?"

Immediately, Akihiko's head snapped towards Shinjiro, but the other senior paid no attention to him, his dark eyes honing straight in on Minato's. Minato, for his part, managed to not flinch and instead met the senior's gaze readily.

 _I'm sorry_ , he tried to convey. _I'm sorry, but…_

Shinjiro gave a low, very bitter oath, but it was lost in the flood of what followed.

"Why are you not denying it!?" Ken cried.

"Shinji!" Akihiko rose to his feet. "What the hell is he saying? Is your condition _that_ bad!?"

"Not now, Aki…" Shinjiro muttered, his glare darkening his face as his eyes flicked from Minato to his childhood friend.

The gray-haired boxer looked severely offended. "Before, you didn't talk about the side effects even though you knew… I thought I'd let you do what you wanted since you always handled things best alone, but if I knew your condition was…!"

"I said not now!"

"The hell do you mean, 'not now'!?"

To the side, Mitsuru had the look of someone quickly putting things together and not liking the result. "Akihiko… Shinjiro…"

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Ken yelled, his voice filling the entirety of the lounge. When the trio of seniors fell silent, drowned out by the force of his bellow, Ken was left panting in the middle of the room, dark eyes still fixated solely on Shinjiro.

Shinjiro stared back, jaw shifting noticeably. Surprisingly, he was the one to look away first.

And that was apparently all the confirmation Ken needed, for he whispered a very small, "No," before taking several wobbly steps back, still tracking rainwater on the lounge floor. He shook his head. "No. T—That's…"

The boy's breathing turned very shallow and very quick. So quick that Fuuka began pushing herself up from her seat in worry. "Ken-kun…!"

"That's not fair," Ken finally gasped out, voice thick. "That's not fair! If you're already dying, then… then how can I avenge my mom now!?" Minato watched as both Mitsuru and Akihiko stilled, and how Shinjiro gave a deep, inaudible sigh. "What use is it if you're gonna die anyway!?"

And all of SEES watched as one ten-year-old boy crumbled in on himself. The last of his composure slipping away as he sobbed brokenly, words coming out in snatches. "I wanted… t'get stronger…! I wanted to beat you… 'c—'cause you _killed_ my mom! And she's… she's _dead_ and she's not coming back and you're sick and—and—!"

For a long while, no one moved. No one spoke. Minato would go so far to say that no one even blinked, watching Ken as he broke down, sobbing almost to the point of dry heaving.

But then, Shinjiro stood, hands jammed into the pockets of his coat. He stepped forward. Gaze focused solely, solemnly, on Ken. "So, what do you want me to do?"

Sniffling now, Ken looked up with watery eyes. "H—Huh?"

"You're right," Shinjiro said. "I killed your mom." Akihiko made a sound perhaps in protest, but Shinjiro barely blinked as he continued on like a battering ram, "I know I can't ever redeem myself for that. So… what do you want me to do?"

It was then that it struck Minato how very sad this situation was. He'd known peripherally from Tamamo about the decisions made and the consequences suffered as a result of this unfortunate series of events, but it truly stuck out when it was presented so plainly before his eyes.

An accident, a single moment of a lapse of control, had caused the death of an innocent woman. Her child suffered from the loss, while her killer descended into a spiral of guilt and self-loathing. To avenge her, the child that she loved and raised was willing and ready to bloody his hands. And, not knowing any other way to atone, her killer, still only a minor himself, would allow himself to be killed, after months of suffering the debilitating effects of the Persona suppressants. Of denying his very Self, however literally or metaphorically one took a Persona as.

"I…" Ken faltered, looking surprised that Shinjiro had even deigned to ask him. "I… don't know…"

He stared up at the senior for a long moment, clearly searching for something. When Shinjiro only held his gaze steadily, even if the rest of the upperclassman's body was rigid with tension, Ken lifted his chin, brows furrowed over his eyes.

"I don't know," Ken repeated, voice clearer if somewhat clogged from his earlier tears. He pushed himself back up to his feet, swaying slightly but remaining upright. "But you're not allowed to die until I do know."

Another staredown occurred, both sides trying to read the other. Then, Shinjiro nodded.

Nodding back, Ken took a deep breath, sniffled, and resumed his earlier trek to the stairs.

When the youngest SEES member was out of sight and safely in his room, Mitsuru said, "Shinjiro. A word." And strode off to the stairs without waiting for a reply.

Sighing deeply, Shinjiro followed after, Akihiko hot on his heels.

Left behind, the juniors were left floundering to themselves.

"Dude," Junpei breathed, ever the spokesperson for shocking events. "What the _hell_."


End file.
